Columbia  ©ntoer$tt|> 
mtyeCttpofltatigiirk 


LIBRARY 


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A  NEW  AMERICAN 

BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTION AUY: 

OH, 

REMEMBRANCER 

OF  THE 

DEPARTED  HEROES.  SAGES,  AND  STATESMEN 


CONFINED    EXCLUSIVELY 

TO  THOSE  WHO  HAVE  SIGNALIZED  THEMSELVES  IN   EITHEE 

CAPACITY, 

IN  THE  REVOLUTIONARY  WAR  WHICH  OBTAINED  THE 
INDEPENDENCE  OF  THEIR  COUNTRY. 

THIRD  EDITION  ; 

WITH    IMPORTANT    ALTERATIONS    AND    ADDITIONS. 


COMPILED  BY  THOMAS  J.  ROGERS. 


Whether  we  consider  the  intrinsic  gallantry  of  our  revolutionary  heroes  an $ 
statesmen,  the  sufferings  they  endured,  or  the  inestimable  value  of  the  Met 
sings  they  obtained,  no  nation  has  prouder  examples  to  appeal  to  than  th< 
American  people  :  no  nation  was  ever  called  on  by  stronger  obligations  of  gn 
titude,  to  honor  their  characters  and  to  consecrate  their  memories. 


EASTON,  PENN : 
PRINTED  AND  PUBLISHED  BY  THOMAS  J.  ROGERS. 

4824. 


Eastern  District  of  Pennsylvania,  to  wit. 

Be  it  kemembehed,  that  on  the  fourth  day  of  August  in  the 
forty-ninth  year  of  the  Independence  of  the  United  States  of 
America,  A.  D.  1824,  Thomas  J.  Rogers,  of  the  said  District, 
hath  deposited  in  this  office  the  Title  of  a  Book,  the  right 
whereof  he  claims  as  proprietor,  in  the  words  following,  to- 
wit: 

"A  new  American  Biographical  Dictionary ;  or  Remembrancer  of  the  de- 
parted Heroes,  Sages,  and  Statesmen,  of  America.  Confined  exclusively  to 
those  who  have  signalized  themselves  in  either  capacity  in  the  Revolutionary 
War,  which  obtained  the  Independence  of  their  countiy.  Third  Edition,  with 
important  alterations  and  additions.  Compiled  by  Thomas  J.  Rogers." 

"Whether  we  consider  the  intrinsic  gallantly  of  our  revolutionary  heroes  and 
"statesmen,  the  sufferings  they  endured,  or  the  inestimable  value  of  the 
"blessings  they  obtained,  no  nation  has  prouder  examples  to  appeal  to  than 
"  the  American  people  :  no  nation  was  ever  called  on  by  stronger  obliga- 
"tions  of  gratitude,  to  honor  their  characters  and  to  consecrate  their  me- 
"mories." 

In  conformity  to  the  Act  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  entitled,  "An 
act  for  the  encouragement  of  learning,  by  securing  the  copies  of  maps,  charts 
and  books,  to  the  authors  and  proprietors  of  such  copies  during  the  times 
therein  mentioned."  And  also  to  the  act  entitled,  "An  act  supplementary 
to  an  act,  entitled  "An  act  for  the  encouragement  of  learning,  by  securing  the 
copies  of  maps,  charts,  and  books,  to  the  authors  and  proprietors  of  such 
copies  during  the  times  therein  mentioned,"  and  extending  the  benefits 
thereof  to  the  arts  of  designing,  engraving,  and  etching  historical  and  othe? 

pnntS"  D.  CALDWELL, 

Clerk  of  the  Eastern  district  of  Pennsylvania. 


TWO  editions  of  this  work  have  heen  published,  and  the 
second  has  received  the  decided  and  unequivocal  approbation 
4)f  some  of  the  most  distinguished  individuals  in  our  country. 
The  present  edition  is  considerably  enlarged,  and  essentially 
improved,  by  numerous  original  sketches  of  individuals,  whose 
characters,  conduct,  and  patriotism,  in  all  probability,  never 
would  have  been  recorded,  but  for  this  publication.  Every 
day  more  solicitude  and  interest  is  manifested  for  the  history 
and  events  of  the  revolutionary  war,  and  more  veneration  is 
paid  to  the  memory  of  those  illustrious  statesmen  and  soldiers, 
who  laid  the  foundation  of  the  American  republic.  Those 
venerable  men  are  rapidly  departing  from  among  us.  Every 
day  adds  to  the  number  of  those  who  have  gone,  and  few  now 
remain.  It  becomes  us  the  more  then  to  cherish  their  princi- 
ples, which  will,  ere  long,  be  all  that  survives  them,  except 
indeed  the  history  of  their  virtues,  patriotism,  and  gallant 
exploits.  These,  we  trust,  will  never  be  forgotten  by  their 
descendants.  There  is  no  task  more  delightful  to  a  grateful 
posterity,  nor  more  worthy  of  a  patriot,  than  to  search  out  the 
rolls  of  honourable  exploit,  and  to  promulgate  it  to  our  coun- 
try. Every  endeavour  to  rescue  from  forgetfulness  the  men 
who  distinguished  themselves  in  our  glorious  revolution, 
ought  to  be  encouraged  by  all  patriotic  Americans.  We  ought 
to  implant  their  memory  in  the  hearts  of  our  children,  to  be 
handed  down  to  their  children,  in  proud  remembrance  of  their 
virtues,  talents,  and  patriotism  :  for  "  never,  in  any  country 
or  in  any  age,  did  there  exist  a  race  of  men  whose  souls 
were  better  fitted  to  endure  the  trial.  Patient  in  suffering, 
firm  in  adversity,  calm  and  collected  amidst  the  dangers 
which  pressed  around  them  ;  cool  in  council,  and  brave  in 
battle,  they  were  worthy  of  the  cause  and  the  cause  was  wor- 
thy of  them."  Whether  we  consider  their  intrinsic  gallantry, 
the  sufferings  they  endured,  or  the  inestimable  blessings  they 
obtained  for  themselves  and  their  posterity,  no  nation  has 
prouder  examples  to  appeal  to  than  the  American  people  :  no 
nation  was  ever  called  on  by  stronger  obligations  of  grati- 
tude, to  honour  their  characters  and  to  consecrate  their  me- 
mories. 
g  In  contemplating  the  characters  of  those  illustrious  men, 

who  have  been  emphatically  called  the  founders  of  our  repub- 
lic, we  have  before  us  models  of  every  public  and  private  vir- 

I  100323 


IV  PKEi'ACJi. 

rue.  Here  lie  who  is  ambitious  of  acting  a  distinguished  part 
in  the  cabinet,  may  learn  to  imitate  a  Franklin,  a  Henry,  an 
Adams,  a  Hancock,  and  others.  Here  the  soldier,  whose  am- 
bition is  patriotism  and  glory,  may  be  stimulated  to  acquire 
ihe  laurels  gained  by  a  Washington,  a  Greene,  a  Montgome- 
ry, a  Wayne,  a  Warren,  and  their  compatriots.  And  here 
the  naval  aspirant,  may  dwell  with  delight  and  satisfaction, 
oo  the  heroic  actions  of  a  Biddle,  Barney,  and  others.  In  a 
ward,  here  may  the  sons  of  America  trace  the  lineaments  of 
heir  fathers'  glory,  and  by  their  example  learn  to  imitate 
their  deeds.  "  The  authors  of  our  independence  will  indeed 
occupy  a  high  rank  in  the  veneration  of  posterity  ;  and  for 
the  gratification  of  the  present  and  all  future  times,  it  is  now 
proper  to  collect  the  scattered  notices  of  their  personal  and 
oolitical  history ;  to  mould  them  into  form,  and  to  exhibit 
the  result  to  the  contemplation  of  an  admiring  world. " 

The  introduction  contains  a  succinct  account  of  the  events 
which  led  to  the  rupture  between  Great  Britain  and  her  then 
olonies.     The  declaration  of  1775,   and  the  other  papers 
which  emanated  from  congress,  during  the  revolutionary  con- 
-;st,  contain  the  manful  remonstrances  of  freemen   against 
oppression  ;  an  elegant  and  eloquent  exposition  of  the  rights 
»f  the  people,  and  of  the  causes  which  impelled  our  fathers  to 
he  separation.     The  biographies   of  the  sages  and  heroes, 
ontain  much  instructive  history  of  the  revolution  ;  calculated 
to  incite  the  young,  instruct  the  old,  and  improve  the  moral 
haracter  of  the  nation,  by  holding  up  to  public  view  and  imi- 
ation,  portraits  of  virtue  and  patriotism,  of  which  the  histo- 
ry of  mankind  affords  no  brighter  examples.     To  which  is 
.dded  the  Farewell  Address  of  Washington,  in  which  we 
nay  read  with  delight  and  instruction,  the  advice  of  the  father 
four  country,  and  the  importance  and  necessity  of  preserv- 
ing the  union  of  our  confederated  republic. 

The  compiler  claims  no  other  merit  for  this  work,  than  a 
persevering  industry  to  collect  and  save  from  oblivion,  the 
names  and  deeds  of  those  brave  men,  whose  wisdom  in  coun- 
cil, and  valour  in  battle,  gave  liberty  and  independence  to  a 
n*eat,  powerful,  and  flourishing  nation. 

Easton,  Pennsylvania.  September  1,  1824. 


a 


THE  compiler  deems  it  proper  to  state  the  gradual  ap- 
proaches which  the  colonies  made  towards  independence,  pre- 
vious to  the  declaration  by  the  immortal  Congress  of  1776, 
and  in  a  summary  mode  to  trace  the  current  of  events,  from 
the  origin  of  the  plan  of  taxing  America,  up  to  the  Fourth  of 
July  of  that  year. 

In  1764,  the  British  parliament  passed  resolutions,  pre- 
paratory to  laying  a  tax  on  the  colonies,  by  a  stamp  act.  In 
March,  1765,  the  famous  stamp  act  was  passed,  to  take  effect 
in  the  colonies  on  the  first  of  November  following.  This  was 
the  first  act  of  the  mother  country,  which  created  alarm,  and 
which  eventually  caused  a  separation  of  these  states  from 
Great  Britain.  It  passed  the  house  of  Commons  by  a  ma- 
jority of  two  hundred  votes.  The  bill  met  with  no  opposition 
in  the  house  of  Lords.  The  very  night  the  act  passed,  Dr. 
Franklin  who  was  then  in  London,  wrote  to  Charles  Thomp- 
son, afterwards  secretary  of  congress:  "  The  sun  of  liberty  is 
set  ;  the  Americans  must  light  the  lamps  of  industry  and  econo- 
my." To  which  Mr.  Thompson  answered  :  "Be  assured 
we  will  light  torches  of  quite  another  sort."  He  here  predic- 
ted the  opposition  and  convulsions,  that  were  about  to  follow 
this  odious  act.  The  torch  of  the  revolution  was  indeed  very 
soon  lighted.  When  the  information  of  the  passage  of  the  act 
reached  the  colonies,  the  assembly  of  Virginia  was  the  only 
one  in  session  ;  and  Virginia  led  the  way  in  opposition  to  it. 
The  resolutions  offered  by  Patnck  Henry,  assumed  a  lofty  and 
open  ground  against  taxation.  In  New  England,  and  par- 
ticularly in  Massachusetts,  the  same  opposition  was  mani- 
fested, and,  indeed,  the  whole  continent  was  in  a  flame.  It 
spread  from  breast  to  breast,  till  the  conflagration  became 
general.  The  legislature  of  Massachusetts  met  on  the  last  day 
of  May,  1765.  A  committee  reported  the  expediency  of  hav- 
ing a  general  meeting  of  '•committees."  from  the  several  as- 
semblies of  the  colonies,  to  beheld  at  New  York,  in  October 
following.  They  also  resolved  to  send  circulars  to  the  seve- 
ral assemblies,  requesting  their  concurrence.  Twenty-eight 
deputies,  from  Massachusetts,  Rhode  Island,  Connecticut, 
New  York,  New  Jersey,  Pennsylvania,  Delaware,  Maryland 
and  South  Carolina,  met  at  New  York,  on  Monday  the  7th 
of  October,  1765.  They  passed  resolutions  expressing  their 
motives  and  principles,  and  declaring  their  exemption  from 
all  taxes,  not  imposed  by  their  own  representatives.  They 
also  agreed  upon  a  petition  to  the  king,  a  memorial  to  the 
house  of  lords,  and  a  petition  to  the  house  of  commons. 


Vi  INTRODUCTION. 

From  the  decided  opposition  to  this  act,  and  the  indignation 
manifested  against  it,  in  all  parts  of  the  colonies,  it  was  deem* 
ed  proper  to  repeal  it.  It  was  accordingly  repealed  on  the 
18th  of  March,  1766.  Much  opposition,  however,  was  made 
to  its  repeal.  Several  speakers  in  hoth  houses  of  parliament 
denied  the  right  of  taxing  the  colonies.  Mr.  Pitt,  afterwards 
lord  Chatham,  said,  "it  is  my  opinion  that  this  kingdom  has 
no  right  to  lay  a  tax  upon  the  colonies.  We  are  told  that 
America  is  obstinate,  almost  in  open  rebellion.  I  rejoice  that 
America  has  resisted.  Three  millions  of  people  so  dead  to 
all  the  feelings  of  liberty,  as  voluntarily  to  submit  to  be  slaves, 
would  have  been  fit  instruments  to  make  slaves  of  all  the 
rest.  The  Americans  have  been  wronged  ;  they  have  been  dri- 
ven to  madness  by  injustice.  Will  you  punish  them  for  the 
madness  you  have  occasioned  ?  No  ;  let  this  country  be  the 
first  to  re'sume  its  prudence  and  temper."  He  concluded  by 
saying  that  it  was  his  opinion  that  the  stamp  act  be  repealed, 
absolutely,  totally,  and  immediately. 

In  1767,  an  act  passed  the  British  parliament,  laying  a  hea- 
vy duty  on  tea,  glass,  paper,  and  other  articles.  This  act 
re-kindled  the  resentment  and  excited  a  general  opposition 
among  the  people  of  the  colonics ;  and  they  contended  that 
there  was  no  real  difference  between  the  principle  of  the  new 
act  and  the  stamp  act.  This  act  produced  resolves,  petitions, 
&c.  similar  to  those  with  which  the  colonies  opposed  the  stamp 
act,  and  in  various  parts,  particularly  in  Massachusetts,  on 
the  suggestion  of  Samuel  Mams,  it  was  agreed  not  to  import 
and  consume  British  manufactures. 

In  1769,  both  houses  of  parliament  passed  a  joint  address 
to  his  majesty,  approbatory  of  his  measures,  and  that  they 
would  support  him  in  such  further  measures  as  might  be  found 
necessary,  to  maintain  the  civil  magistrates  in  a  due  execu- 
tion of  the  laws  in  Massachusetts-Bay.  The  assembly  of 
Virginia,  in  tins  year,  passed  resolutions  complaining  of  the 
recent  acts  of  parliament,  and  remonstrated  against  the 
right  of  transporting  the  freeborn  subjects  of  America  to  Eng- 
land, to  be  tried  for  alledged  offences  committed  in  the  colo- 
nies. In  1770,  on  the  2d  of  March,  the  Boston  massacre  took 
place. 

In  1773,  the  people  of  Boston  who  were  determined  not  to 
pay  duties  on  tea,  collected  in  a  town  meeting  and  resolved 
that  the  tea  should  not  be  landed.  At  the  dissolution  of  the 
meeting,  about  twenty  persons,  in  the  disguise  of  Mohawk  In- 
dians, went  on  board  some  ships,  broke  open  three  hundred 
and  forty-two  chests  of  tea,  and  discharged  their  contents  in- 
to the  water.  In  Philadelphia,  where  the  spirit  of  opposition, 
although  not  less  deep,  was  less  loud,  they  unloaded  some  of 
the  cargoes  and  stored  the  tea  in  damp  cellars,  where  it  soo*i 


INTRODUCTION'.  Vll 

moulded.  Whole  cargoes  were  returned  from  New  York  and 
Philadelphia.  When  the  news  of  the  destruction  of  the  tea 
reached  England,  they  determined  to  punish  the  people  of 
Boston.  In  1774,  a  bill  was  passed  in  parliament,  called  the 
Boston  Port  Bill,  to  discontinue  the  landing  or  shipping  of 
any  goods,  wares,  or  merchandize,  at  the  harbour  of  that 
city.  This  was  followed  by  an  act  authorising  the  quarter- 
ing of  soldiers  in  the  houses  of  the  citizens.  General  Gage, 
in  character  of  commander  in  chief  of  the  royal  forces,  and 
governor  of  Massachussetts,  arrived  at  Boston,  with  a  mili- 
tary force,  to  enforce  the  acts  of  the  parliament. 

The  words  whigs  and  tories  were  now  introduced,  to  dis- 
tinguish the  names  of  the  parties.  By  the  former,  were  meant 
those  who  were  for  supporting  the  colonics  in  their  opposition 
to  the  tyrannical  acts  of  the  British  parliament.  By  the 
latter,  those  who  were  in  favour  of  Great  Britain  and  oppo- 
sed to  resistance. 

During  these  commotions,  the  first  Congress  of  delegates, 
ehosen  and  appointed  by  the  several  colonies  and  provinces, 
met  at  Carpenter's  Hall,  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  on  the 
5th  of  September,  1774.  Peyton  Randolph,  of  Virginia,  was 
unanimously  elected  President,  and  Charles  Thompson,  Se- 
cretary. On  the  27th  September,  congress  unanimously  re- 
solved, that  from  and  after  the  1st  of  December,  1774,  there 
should  be  no  importation  from  Great  Britain  or  Ireland,  of 
British  goods.  On  the  8th  of  October,  it  was  resolved  that 
the  congress  approve  the  opposition  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Massachusetts  Bay,  to  the  execution  of  the  obnoxious  acts  of 
Parliament.  On  the  22d  of  September,  they  passed  a  resolu- 
tion recommending  delegates  to  meet  again  at  Philadelphia, 
on  the  10th  May,  1775.     The  congress  was  then  dissolved. 

On  the  19th  of  April,  1775,  the  first  battle  was  fought  be- 
tween the  Americans  and  the  king's  troops,  at  Lexington, 
Massachusetts.  The  revolutionary  war  began  with  this  bat- 
tle ;  for  here  the  first  blood  was  spilt.  The  British  had  sixty 
five  killed,  one  hundred  and  eighty  wounded,  and  twenty  eight 
made  prisoners.  Of  the  Americans,  fifty  one  were  killed, 
thirty  eight  wounded,  and  four  were  missing.  At  Lexington 
a  monument  has  been  erected  to  the  memory  of  those  who 
were  killed  in  that  town,  with  a  suitable  inscription  on  it, 
including  the  names  of  those  who  fell.  The  die  was  cast! 
the  blood  of  these  martyrs  was  the  cement  of  the  union  of 
these  states:  the  Americans  rose  as  one  man  to  revenge  their 
brethren's  blood,  and  at  the  point  of  the  sword  to  assert  and 
defend  their  native  rights.  Those  who  fell  in  this  battle  were 
revered  by  their  countrymen,  as  martyrs  who  had  died  in  the 
cause  of  liberty. 


Vlii  INTRODUCTION. 

On  the  10th  May,  1775,  the  delegates  from  the  several  co- 
lonies, with  the  exception  of  Rhode  Island,  assembled  at  the 
state  house  in  Philadelphia,  when  Peyton  Randolph,  was  a  se- 
cond time  unanimously  elected  president,  and  Charles  Thomp- 
son, secretary.  A  few  days  after  they  met,  Mr.  Randolph 
being  under  the  necessity  of  returning  home,  John  Hancock, 
of  Massachusetts,  was  unanimously  elected  president. 

On  the  17th  of  June,  the  memorable  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill 
took  place,  where  the  gallant  resistance  of  a  handful  of  un- 
disciplined troops,  taught  a  lesson  to  the  British  which  they 
remembered  during  the  contest. 

In  the  same  month  Congress  resolved  to  raise  several  com- 
panies of  riflemen,  &c.  and  that  a  general  should  be  appoint- 
ed to  command  all  the  continental  forces  raised,  or  to  be  rais- 
ed, for  the  defence  of  American  liberty  :  and  George  Wash- 
ington, was  unanimously  elected.  Congress,  at  the  same 
time,  resolved,  that  they  would  maintain,  assist,  and  adhere 
to  George  Washington,  with  their  lives  and  fortunes. 

On  the  first  of  August,  Congress  adjourned  to  meet  on  the 
5th  of  September.  On  the  5th  of  September.  1775,  Congress 
again  convened,  and  proceeded  to  the  important  business  en- 
trusted to  them.  They  provided  for  raising  armies,  building 
vessels  of  war,  and  authorised  the  capture  of  all  ships  and 
vessels  belonging  to  the  inhabitants  of  Great  Britain.  They 
also  resolved  that  ten  millions  of  dollars  should  be  raised  for 
the  purpose  of  carrying  on  the  war. 

On  the  10th  of  June,  1776,  a  motion  was  made  by  Richard 
Henry  Lee,  of  Virginia,  seconded  by  John  Adams,  of  Massa- 
chusetts, that  a  committee  should  be  appointed  to  prepare  a 
declaration  to  the  following  effect :  "  That  these  United  Colo- 
nies are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  free  and  independent  states ; 
that  they  are  absolved  from  all  allegiance  to  the  British 
crown  ;  and  that  all  political  connexion  between  them  and  the 
state  of  Great  Britain,  is,  and  ought  to  be,  totally  dissolved." 
The  committee  consisted  of  Mr.  Jefferson.  Mr.  J.  Adams.  Mr. 
Franklin,  Mr.  Sherman,  an!  Mr.  R.  R.  Livingston.  Mr. 
Jefferson,  though  the  youngest  on  the  committee,  was  chair- 
man, he  having  received  oue  more  vote  than  Mr.  Adams. — 
The  committee  met  and  appointed  Mr.  Jefferson  and  Mr. 
Adams,  a  sub-committee.  Mr.  Jefferson  urged  Mr.  Adams 
to  write  the  declaration,  and  Mr.  Adams  urged  Mr.  Jefferson 
to  do  it.  Mr.  Jefferson  consented,  and  the  next  day  submit- 
ted the  original  draft,  as  it  was  presented  to  Congress.  On 
the  first  day  of  July,  the  committee  reported  the  declaration 
to  Congress,  and  it  was  discussed  and  amended  on  the  second 
and  third,  and  finally,  on  the  fourth  of  July,  the  Declaration 
of  Independence  was  agreed  to  and  signed. 


A  NEW  AMERICAN 


BIOGRAPHICAL  DICTIONARY. 


ADAMS,  Samuel,  one  of  the  most  distinguished  patriots 
fyf  the  American  Revolution,  was  horn  in  Boston,  Massa- 
chusetts, on  the  22d  of  September,  1722.  His  ancestors  were 
among  the  first  settlers  in  New  England.  His  parents  were 
highly  respectable.  His  father  was,  for  many  years,  a  repre- 
sentative for  the  town  of  Boston,  in  the  Massachusetts  house 
of  Assembly,  in  which  he  was  annually  elected  till  his  death. 

Samuel  Adams  received  the  rudiments  of  a  liberal  education 
at  the  grammar  school  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Lovell,  where 
he  was  remarkably  attentive  to  his  studies.  His  conduct  was 
cimilar  while  he  was  at  college,  and  during  the  whole  term  he 
had  to  pay  but  one  fine,  and  this  was  for  not  attending  morn- 
ing prayers,  in  consequence  of  having  overslept  himself.  By 
a  close  and  steady  application,  he  made  considerable  profi- 
ciency in  classical  learning,  logic,  and  natural  philosophy; 
but  as  he  was  designed  for  the  ministry,  a  profession  to  which 
he  seems  to  have  been  much  inclined,  his  studies  were  partic- 
ularly directed  to  systematic  divinity.  Why  Mr.  Adams  did 
not  assume  the  clerical  character,  so  congenial  to  his  views 
and  habits,  does  not  appear.  In  1740,  and  1743,  the  respec- 
tive degrees  of  bachelor  and  master  of  arts  were  conferred 
upon  him.  On  the  latter  occasion,  he  proposed  the  following 
question  for  discussion,  "  whether  it  be  lawful  to  resist  the  su- 
preme magistrate,  if  the  commonwealth  cannot  otherwise  be 
preserved  :"  He  maintained  the  affirmative  of  this  proposi- 
'  iion,  and  thus  evinced,  at  this  period  of  his  life,  his  attach- 
ment to  the  liberties  of  the  people.  While  he  was  a  student, 
his  father  allowed  him  a  regular  stipend.  Of  this,  he  saved  a 
^ijficient  sum,  to  publish,  at  his  own  expense,  a  pamphlet,  call- 
ed "  Englishmen's  Rights." 


10  ADAMS. 

He  was  put  an  apprentice  to  the  late  Thomas  Costing,  an 
eminent  merchant.  For  this  profession  he  was  ill  adapted,  and 
it  received  but  a  small  share  of  his  attention.  The  study  of 
politics  was  his  chief  delight.  At  this  time  he  formed  a  club, 
each  member  of  which  agreed  to  furnish  a  political  essay  for 
a  newspaper  called  the  Independent  Advertiser.  These  es- 
says brought  the  writers  into  notice,  who  were  called,  in  deri- 
sion, ''the  Whipping  Post  Club." 

His  limited  knowledge  of  commerce  rendered  him  incompe- 
tent to  support  himself  by  that  pursuit.  His  father,  however, 
gave  him  a  considerable  capital,  with  which  he  commenced 
business.  He  had  not  been  long  in  trade  when  he  credited 
one  of  his  countrymen  with  a  sum  of  money.  This  person, 
soon  after,  met  with  heavy  calamities,  which  he  represented  to 
Mr.  Adams,  who  never  demanded  the  amount,  although  it  was 
nearly  half  the  value  of  his  original  stock.  This,  and  other 
losses,  soon  consumed  all  he  had. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-five,  his  father  died,  and,  as  he  was 
the  oldest  son,  the  care  of  the  family  and  management  of  the 
estate,  devolved  upon  him. 

Early  distinguished  by  talents,  as  a  writer,  his  first  at- 
tempts were  proofs  of  his  filial  piety.  By  his  efforts  he  pre- 
served the  estate  of  his  father,  which  had  been  attached  on 
account  of  an  engagement  in  the  land  bank  bubble.  He  be- 
came a  political  writer  during  the  administration  of  Shirley, 
to  which  he  was  opposed,  as  he  thought  the  union  of  so  much 
civil  and  military  power,  in  one  man,  was  dangerous.  His  in- 
genuity, wit,  and  profound  argument,  are  spoken  of  with  the 
highest  respect  by  those  who  were  contemporary  with  him. 
At  this  early  period  he  laid  the  foundation  of  public  confidence 
and  esteem. 

It  may  be  proper  to  mention  that  his  first  office  in  the  town 
was  that  of  tax-gatherer,  which  the  opposite  party  in  politics 
often  alluded  to.  and  in  their  controversies  would  style  him 
Samuel  the  Publican.  While  the  British  regiments  were  in 
town,  the  tories  enjoyed  a  kind  of  triumph,  and  invented  every 
mode  of  burlesquing  the  popular  leaders  :  but,  where  the  peo- 
ple tax  themselves,  the  office  of  collector  is  respectable  ;  it 
was,  at  that  time,  given  to  gentlemen  who  had  seen  better 
days,  and  needed  some  pecuniary  assistance,  having  merited 
the  esteem  and  confidence  of  their  fellow  townsmen.  Mr. 
Adams  was  ill  qualified  to  fill  an  office  which  required  such 
constant  attention  to  pecuniary  matters;  and,  his  soul  being 
bent  on  politics,  he  passed  more  time  in  talking  against  Great 
Britain  than  in  collecting  the  sums  due  to  the  town.  He  grew 
embarrassed  in  his  circumstances,  and  was  assisted,  not  only 


ADAMS,  li 

by  private  friends,  but  by  many  others  who  knew  him  only  as 
a  spirited  partisan  in  the  cause  of  liberty. 

From  this  time,  the  whigs  were  determined  to  support  him 
to  the  utmost  of  their  power.  He  had  heen  always  on  their 
side,  was  firm  and  sagacious,  one  of  the  best  writers  in  the 
newspapers,  ready  upon  every  question,  but  especially  conver- 
sant with  all  matters  which  related  to  the  dispute  between 
Great  Britain  and  the  colonies. 

We  have  said  that  there  was  a  private  political  club  in  Bos- 
ton, where  derisive  measures  originated,  which  gave  a  secret 
spring  and  impulse  to  the  motions  of  the  public  body,  and  that 
Mr.  Adams  was  one  of  the  patriotic  conclave.  This  confed- 
eracy came  to  a  determination  to  resist  every  infringement  of 
their  rights.  The  stamp  act  was  a  flagrant  violation  of  them, 
and  to  suffer  it  quietly  to  be  carried  into  effrct,  would  estab- 
lish a  precedent,  and  encourage  further  proceedings  of  a  simi- 
lar nature.  Mr.  Adams  was  one  of  those  who  opposed  it  in 
every  step.  He  was  not  averse  to  the  manner  in  which  the 
people  evinced  their  determinate  opposition,  by  destroying  the 
stamped  papers  and  office  in  Boston;  but  he  highly  disap- 
proved of  the  riots  and  disorders  which  followed,  and  person- 
ally aided  the  civil  power  to  put  a  stop  to  them. 

The  taxes  upon  tea,  oiU  and  colours,  were  still  more  odious 
to  the  Americans  than  the  stamp  act;  especially  to  the  inhab- 
itants of  Boston,  where  the  board  of  commissioners  was  es- 
tablished. The  people  looked  to  Mr.  Adams  as  one  of  the 
champions  of  liberty,  who  must  stand  forth  against  every 
claim  of  Great  Britain,  and  deny  the  right  of  the  parent  state 
to  lay  a  tax;  nor  were  they  disappointed.  He  was  so  strenu- 
ous in  his  exertions  to  make  the  people  sensible  of  their  char- 
ter privileges,  that  he  obtained  the  appellation  of  the  patriot 
Samuel  Mams. 

In  1765,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  general  assembly 
of  Massachusetts.  He  was  soon  chosen  clerk,  and  he  gradu- 
ally acquired  influence  in  the  legislature.  This  was  an  event- 
ful time.  But  Mr.  Adams  possessed  a  courage  which  no  dan- 
gers could  shake.  He  was  undismayed  by  the  prospect,  which 
struck  terror  into  the  hearts  of  many.  He  was  a  member  of 
the  legislature  near  ten  years,  and  he  was  the  soul  which  ani- 
mated it  to  the  most  important  resolutions.  No  man  did  so 
much.  He  pressed  his  measures  with  ardour :  yet  he  was  pru- 
dent; he  knew  how  to  bend  the  passions  of  others  to  his  pur- 
pose. 

The  congress  which  assembled  at  New  York,  at  this  period, 
was  attributed  to  a  suggestion  made  by  Mr.  Adams.  It  has 
been  said,  with  confidence,  that  he  was  the  first  man  who  pro- 
posed i*  in  Massachusetts. 


12  ADAMS. 

In  consequence  of  the  act  imposing  duties,  in  176/,  Mn 
Adams  suggested  a  non-importation  agreement  with  the  mer- 
chants. This  was  agreed  to,  and  signed  by  nearly  all  of  them 
in  the  province.  They  bound  themselves,  if  the  duties  were 
not  repealed,  not  to  import,  or  to  order  any,  but  certain  enu- 
merated articles,  after  the  first  of  January,  1769. 

On  the  evening  of  the  fifth  of  March,  1770,  an  affray  took 
place  between  the  military  quartered  in  Boston,  and  some  citi* 
zens,  which  resulted  in  a  loss  of  lives  on  both  sides.  On  the 
following  morning,  a  public  meeting  was  called,  and  Samuel 
Adams  addressed  the  assembly,  with  that  impressive  eloquence 
which  was  so  peculiar  to  himself.  The  people,  on  this  occa- 
sion, chose  a  committee  to  wait  upon  the  lieutenant  governor, 
to  require  that  the  troops  be  immediately  withdrawn  from  the 
town.  The  mission,  however,  proved  unsuccessful,  and  an- 
other resolution  was  immediately  adopted,  that  a  new  com- 
mittee be  chosen  to  wait  a  second  time  upon  governor  Hutch- 
inson for  the  purpose  of  conveying  the  sense  of  the  meeting 
in  a  more  peremptory  manner.  Mr.  Adams  acted  as  chair- 
man. They  waited  on  the  lieutenant  governor,  and  commu- 
nicated this  last  vote  of  the  town ;  and,  in  a  speech  of  some- 
length,  Mr.  Adams  stated  the  danger  of  keeping  the  troops 
longer  in  the  capital,  fully  proving  the  illegality  of  the  act  it- 
self; and  enumerating  the  fatal  consequences  that  would  en- 
sue, if  he  refused  an  immediate  compliance  with  the  vote. 
Lieutenant  governor  Hutchinson,  with  his  usual  prevarication, 
replied,  and  roundly  asserted,  that  there  was  no  illegality  in 
the  measure ;  and  repeated,  that  the  troops  were  not  subject 
to  his  authority,  but  that  he  would  direct  the  removal  of  the 
twenty-ninth  regiment.  Mr.  Adams  again  rose.  The  mag- 
nitude of  the  subject,  and  the  manner  in  which  it  was  treated 
by  lieutenant  governor  Hutchinson,  had  now  roused  the  im- 
petuous feelings  of  his  patriotic  soul.  With  indignation 
strongly  expressed  in  his  countenance,  and  in  a  firm,  resolute, 
and  commanding  manner,  he  replied,  "that  it  was  well 
known,  that,  acting  as  governor  of  the  province,  he  was,  by 
its  charter,  the  commander  in  chief  of  his  majesty's  military 
and  naval  forces,  and  as  such,  the  troops  were  subject  to  his 
orders ;  and  if  he  had  the  power  to  remove  one  regiment,  lie 
had  the  power  to  remove  both,  and  nothing  short  of  this  would 
satisfy  the  people,  and  it  was  at  his  peril,  if  the  vote  of  the 
town  was  not  immediately  complied  with,  and  if  it  be  longer 
delayed,  he,  alone,  must  be  answerable  for  the  fatal  conse- 
quences that  would  ensue."  This  produced  a  momentary  si- 
lence. It  was  now  dark,  anil  the  people  were  waiting  in  anx- 
ious suspense  for  the  report  of  the  committee.  A  conference 
in  whispers  followed  between  lieutenant  governor  Hutchinson. 


ADAMS.  13 

aud  colonel  Dalrymple.  The  former,  finding  himself  so  close- 
ly pressed,  and  the  fallacy  and  absurdity  of  his  arguments 
thus  glaringly  exposed,  yielded  up  his  positions,  and  gave  his 
consent  to  the  removal  of  both  regiments ;  and  colonel  Dal- 
rymple pledged  his  word  of  honour,  that  he  would  begin  his 
preparations  in  the  morniug,  and  that  there  should  be  no  un- 
necessary delay,  until  the  whole  of  both  regiments  were  re- 
moved to  the  castle. 

At  a  very  early  period  of  the  controversy  between  the  mo- 
ther country  and  the  colonists,  Mr.  Adams  was  impressed 
with  the  importance  of  establishing  committees  of  correspon- 
dence. In  1766,  he  made  some  suggestions  on  this  subject  in 
a  letter  to  a  friend  in  South  Carolina ;  but  it  was  found  to  be 
either  impracticable  or  inexpedient  before  the  year  1 772,  when 
it  was  first  adopted  by  Massachusetts,  on  a  motion  of  Mr. 
Adams  at  a  public  town  meeting  in  Boston.  This  plan  wag 
followed  by  all  the  provinces.  Mr.  Adams's  private  letters" 
may  have  advanced  this  important  work.  In  a  letter  to  Rich- 
ard Henry  Lee,  Esq.  of  Virginia,  which,  unfortunately,  is 
without  a  date,  is  the  following  remark  :  "  I  would  propose  it 
for  your  consideration,  whether  the  establishment  of  commit- 
tees of  correspondence  among  the  several  towns  in  every  col- 
ony, would  not  tend  to  promote  the  general  union  upon  which 
the  security  of  the  whole  depends."  It  will  be  remembered 
that  the  resolutions  for  the  establishment  of  this  institution  in 
Virginia,  were  passed  March  12,  1773,  which  was  more  than- 
four  months  subsequently  to  the  time  it  had  been  formed  in 
Boston. 

Every  method  had  been  tried  to  induce  Mr.  Adams  to  aban- 
don the  cause  of  his  country,  which  he  had  supported  with 
so  much  zeal,  courage,  and  ability.  Threats  and  caresses  had 
proved  equally  unavailing.  Prior  to  this  time  there  is  no 
certain  proof  that  any  direct  attempt  was  made  upon  his  vir- 
tue and  integrity,  although  a  report  had  been  publicly  and 
freely  circulated,  that  it  had  been  unsuccessfully  tried  by  gov- 
ernor Bernard.  Hutchinson  knew  him  too  well  to  make  the 
attempt.  But  governor  Gage  was  empowered  to  make  tho 
experiment  He  sent  to  him  a  confidential  and  verbal  mes- 
sage by  colonel  Fenton,  who  waited  upon  Mr.  Adams,  and 
after  the  customary  salutations,  he  stated  the  object  of  his  vi- 
sit. He  said  that  an  adjustment  of  the  disputes  which  existed 
between  England  and  the  colonies,  and  a  reconciliation,  was 
very  desirable,  as  well  as  important  to  both.  That  he  was 
authorized  from  governor  Gage  to  assure  him,  that  he  had 
been  empowered  to  confer  upon  him  such  benefits  as  would  be 
satisfactory,  upon  the  condition,  that  he  would  engage  to  cease 
in  his  opposition  to  the  measures  of  government.     He  also 


14  ADAMS. 

observed,  that  it  was  the  advice  of  governor  Gage,  to  him, 
not  to  incur  the  further  displeasure  of  his  majesty  ;  that  his 
conduct  had  been  such  as  made  him  liable  to  the  penalties  of 
an  act  of  Henry  VIII.  by  which  persons  could  be  sent  to  En- 
gland  for  trial  of  treason,  or  misprison  of  treason,  at  the  dis- 
cretion of  a  governor  of  a  province,  but  by  changing  his  po- 
litical course,  he  would  not  only  receive  great  pergonal  advan- 
tages, but  would  thereby  make  his  peace  with  the  king,  Mr. 
Adams  listened  with  apparent  interest  to  this  recital.  He 
asked  colonel  Fenton  if  he  would  truly  deliver  his  reply  as  it 
should  be  given.  After  some  hesitation  he  assented.  Mr. 
Adams  required  his  word  of  honour,  which  he  pledged. 

Then  rising  from  his  chair,  and  assuming  a  determined 
manner,  he  replied,  ' '  I  trust  I  have  long  since  made  my  peace 
with  the  kixg  of  kings.  No  personal  consideration  shall 
induce  me  to  abandon  the  righteous  cause  of  my  country. 
Tell  governor  Gage,  it  is  the  advice  of  Samuel  Adam9 
to  him;  no  longer  to  insult  the  feelings  of  an  exasperated 
people." 

With  a  full  sense  of  his  own  perilous  situation,  marked  out 
an  object  of  ministerial  vengeance,  labouring  under  severe 
pecuniary  embarrassment,  but  fearless  of  consequences,  he 
steadily  pursued  the  great  object  of  his  soul,  the  liberty  of  the 
people. 

The  time  required  bold  and  inflexible  measures.  Common 
distress  required  common  counsel.  The  aspect  was  appalling 
to  some  of  the  most  decided  patriots  of  the  day.  The  severi- 
ty of  punishment  which  was  inflicted  on  the  people  of  Boston, 
by  the  power  of  England,  produced  a  melancholy  sadness  oil 
the  Mends  of  American  freedom.  The  Massachusetts  house 
of  Assembly  was  then  in  session  at  Salem.  A  committee  of 
that  body  was  chosen  to  consider  and  report  the  state  of  the 
province.  Mr.  Adams,  it  is  said,  observed,  that  some  of  the 
committee  were  for  mild  measures,  which  he  judged  no  way 
suited  to  the  present  emergency.  He  conferred  with  Mr. 
Warren,  of  Plymouth,  upon  the  necessity  of  spirited  mea- 
sures, and  then  said,  "  do  you  keep  the  committee  in  play, 
and  I  will  go  and  make  a  caucus  by  the  time  the  evening  ar- 
rives, and  do  you  meet  me."  Mr.  Adams  secured  a  meeting 
of  about  five  principal  members  of  the  house  at  the  time  spe- 
cified, and  repeated  his  endeavours  for  the  second  and  third 
nights,  when  the  number  amounted  to  more  than  thirty.  The 
friends  of  the  administration  knew  nothing  of  the  matter. 
The  popular  leaders  took  the  sense  of  the  members  in  a  pri- 
vate way,  and  found  that  they  would  be  able  to  carry  their 
scheme  by  a  sufficient  majority.  Thev  had  their  whole  plan 
completed,  prepared  tbeir  resolutions,  and  then  determined  to 


ADAMS.  15 

bring  the  business  forward  ;  but,  before  they  commenced,  the 
door-keeper  was  ordered  to  let  no  person  in,  or  suffer  any  one 
to  depart.  The  subjects  for  discussion  were  then  introduced 
by  Mr.  Adams,  with  his  usual  eloquence  on  such  great  occa- 
sions. He  was  chairman  of  the  committee,  and  reported  the 
resolutions  for  the  appointment  of  delegates  to  a  general  con- 
gress to  be  convened  at  Philadelphia,  to  consult  on  the  general 
safety  of  America.  This  report  was  received  by  surprise  and 
astonishment  by  the  administration  party.  Such  was  the  ap- 
prehension of  some,  that  they  were  apparently  desirous  to  de- 
sert, the  question.  The  door-keeper  seemed  uneasy  at  his 
charge,  and  wavering  with  regard  to  the  performance  of  the 
duty  assigned  to  him.  At  this  critical  juncture,  Mr.  Adams 
relieved  him.  by  taking  the  key  and  keeping  it  himself.  The 
resolutions  were  passed,  five  delegates,  consisting  of  Samuel 
Adams,  Thomas  Cushing.  Robert  Treat  Paine,  John  Adams, 
and  James  Bowdoin,  were  appointed,  the  expense  was  estima 
ted,  and  funds  were  voted  for  the  payment.  Before  the  busi- 
ness was  finally  closed,  a  member  made  a  plea  of  indisposi- 
tion, and  was  allowed  to  leave  the  house.  This  person  went 
directly  to  the  governor,  and  informed  him  of  their  high-hand- 
ed proceedings.  The  governor  immediately  sent  his  secretary 
to  dissolve  the  assembly,  who  found  the  door  locked.  He  de 
manded  entrance,  but  was  answered,  that  his  desire  could  not 
be  complied  with,  until  some  important  business,  then  before 
the  house,  was  concluded.  Finding  everv  method  to  gain  ad- 
mission ineffectual,  he  read  the  order  on  the  stairs  for  an  im- 
mediate dissolution  of  the  assembly.  The  order,  however, 
was  disregarded  by  the  house.  They  continued  their  deliber- 
ations, passed  all  their  intended  measures,  and  then  obeyed  the 
mandate  for  dissolution. 

The  battle  of  Lexington,  which  took  place  on  the  19th  of 
April,  1775,  now  announced  the  commencement  of  the  revo- 
lutionary war.  Adams  and  Hancock  were  in  Lexington  the 
very  night  the  British  troops  left  Boston.  To  gain  posses- 
sion of  the  papers  of  Messrs.  Adams  and  Hancock,  who  lodg- 
ed together  in  the  village,  was  one  of  the  motives,  it  is  said, 
of  the  expedition  which  led  to  that  memorable  conflict.  The 
design,  though  covered  with  great  secrecy,  was  anticipated, 
and  the  victims  escaped  upon  the  entrance  of  their  habitation 
by  the  British  troops.  General  Joseph  Warren,  who  was  the 
first  victim  of  rank  who  fell  in  the  revolutionary  contest  with 
Great  Britain  despatched  an  express,  at  ten  o'clock  at  night, 
to  Adams  and  Hancock,  to  warn  them  of  their  danger.  A 
friend  of  Mr.  Adams  spread  a  report  that  he  spake  with  plea- 
sure on  the  occurrences  of  the  19th  of  April.  "It  is  a  fine 
day,"  said  he,  walking  in  the  field  after  the  day  dawned 


16  ADAMS. 

"Very  pleasant,"  answered  one  of  his  companions,  supposing 
him  to  be  contemplating  the  beauties  of  the  sky.  "I  mean," 
he  replied,  "this  day  is  a  glorious  day  tor  America." 
So  fearless  was  he  of  consequences,  so  intrepid  was  he  in  the 
midst  of  danger,  so  eager  to  look  forward  to  the  lustre  of 
events  that  would  succeed  the  gloom  which  then  involved  the 
minds  of  the  people.  Mr.  Adams  had  been  a  member  of  the  conT 
tinental  congress  the  preceding  year.  In  this  situation  he  ren- 
dered the  most  important  services  to  his  country.  His  eloquence 
was  well  adapted  to  the  times  in  which  he  lived.  The  energy  of 
his  language  corresponded  with  the  firmness  and  vigour  of  his 
mind.  His  heart  glowed  with  the  feelings  of  a  patriot,  and 
his  eloquence  was  simple,  majestic,  and  persuasive.  He  was 
one  of  the  most  efficient  members  of  congress.  He  possessed 
keen  penetration,  unshaken  fortitude,  and  permanent  decision. 

After  many  unavailing  efforts,  both  by  threats  and  promises, 
to  allure  this  inflexible  patriot  from  his  devotion  to  the  sacred 
cause  of  independence,  governor  Gage,  at  length,  on  the  12th 
of  June,  issued  that  memorable  proclamation,  of  which  the 
following  is  an  extract.  "In  this  exigency  of  complicated  ca- 
lamities, I  avail  myself  of  the  last  effort  within  the  bounds  of 
my  duty,  to  spare  the  further  effusion  of  blood,  to  offer,  and  I 
do  hereby  in  his  majesty's  name,  offer  and  promise,  his  most 
gracious  pardon  to  all  persons,  who  shall  forthwith  lay  down 
their  arms,  and  return  to  the  duties  of  peaceable  subjects,  ex- 
cepting only  from  the  benefit  of  such  pardon.  Samutiddams, 
and  John  Hancock,  whose  offences  are  of  too  flagitious  a  nature 
to  admit  of  any  other  consideration  than  that  of  condign  pun- 
ishment." This  was  a  diploma,  conferring  greater  honours 
en  the  individuals,  than  any  other  which  was  within  the  power 
of  his  Britannic  majesty  to  bestow. 

In  a  letter  dated  April,  1776,  at  Philadelphia,  while  he  was 
in  congress,  to  major  Hawley,  of  Massachusetts,  he  said,  "I 
am  perfectly  satisfied  of  the  necessity  of  a  public  and  explicit 
declaration*  of  independence.  I  cannot  conceive  what  good 
reason  can  be  assigned  against  it.  Will  it  widen  the  breach  ? 
This  would  be  a  strange  question  after  we  have  raised  armies 
imd  fought  battles  with  the  British  troops  ;  set  up  an  American 
navy,  permitted  the  inhabitants  of  these  colonies  to  fit  out  arm- 
ed vessels  to  capture  the  ships,  &c.  belonging  to  any  of  the  in- 
habitants of  Great  Britain;  declaring  them  the  enemies  of 
the  United  Colonies,  and  torn  into  shivers  their  acts  of  trade, 
by  allowing  commerce,  subject  to  regulations  to  be  made  by 
ourselves,  with  the  people  of  all  countries,  except  such  as  are 
subject  to  the  British  king.  It  cannot,  surely,  after  all  this, 
be  imagined,  that  we  consider  ourselves,  or  mean  to  be  con- 


ADAMS.  17 

sidered  by  others,  in  any  other  state,  than  that  of  indepen- 
dence." 

In  another  letter  to  James  Warren,  Esq.  dated  Baltimore, 
December  31,  1776,  he  said,  "I  assure  you,  business  has 
been  done  since  we  came  to  this  place,  more  to  my  satisfac- 
tion than  any  or  every  thing  done  before,  excepting  the  De- 
claration of  Independence,  which  should  have  been  made  im- 
mediately after  the  19th  of  April,  1775." 

The  character  of  Mr.  Adams  had  become  celebrated  in 
foreign  countries.  In  1773,  he  had  been  chosen  a  member 
of  the  society  of  the  bill  of  rights  in  London;  and  in  1774, 
John  Adams  and  doctor  Joseph  Warren  were  elected  on  his 
nomination. 

Mr.  Adams  was  a  member  of  the  continental  congresg 
when  the  declaration  of  independence  was  made.  He  was  a 
warm  and  ardent  friend  of  that  measure,  and  supported  it 
with  great  zeal. 

In  the  year  1777,  our  patriots  encountered  many  dihVulties. 
It  was  at  this  critical  juncture,  after  Congress  had  resolved 
to  adjourn  from  Philadelphia  to  Lancaster,  that  some  of  the 
leading   members  accidentally  met   in  company  with   each 
other.     A  conversation  in   mutual  confidence  ensued.     Mr. 
Adams,  who  was  one  of  the  number,  was  cheerful  and  undis- 
mayed at  the  aspect  of  affairs,  while  the  countenances  of  his 
friends  were  strongly  marked  with  the  desponding  feelings  of 
their  hearts.     The  conversation  naturally  turned  upon  the 
subject  which  most  engaged  their  feelings.     Each  took  occa- 
sion to  express  his  opinions  on  the  situation  of  the  public 
cause.     Mi-.  Adams  listened  in  silence  till  they  had  finished. 
He  then  said,  "  Gentlemen,  your  spirits  appear  to  be  heavily 
oppressed  with  our  public  calamities.     I  hope  you  do  not  de- 
spair of  our  final  success?"     It  was  answered,   "That  the 
chance  was  desperate."     Mr.  Adams  replied,  "if  this  be  our 
language,  it  is  so,  indeed.     If  we  wear  long  faces,  they  will 
become  fashionable.     Let  us  banish  such  feelings,  and  show 
a  spirit  that  will  keep  alive  the  confidence  of  the  people. 
Better  tidings  will  soon  arrive.     Our  cause  is  just  and  right- 
eous, and  we  shall  never  be  abandoned  by  Heaven  while  wc 
show  ourselves  worthy  of  its  aid  and  protection," 

At  this  time  there  were  but  twenty-eight  of  the  members  of 
Congress  present  at  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Adams  said,  "that 
this  was  the  smallest,  but  the  truest  Congress,  they  ever  had." 
But  a  few  days  had  elapsed,  when  the  news  arrived  of  the 
glorious  success  at  Saratoga,  which  gave  a  new  complexion 
to  our  affairs,  and  confidence  to  our  hopes. 

Soon  after  this,  lord  Howe,  the  earl  of  Carlisle,  and  Mr, 
Eden,  arrived  as  commissioners  to  treat  for  peace,  under  lord 


18  ADAMS. 

North's  conciliatory  proposition.  Mr.  Adams  was  one  of 
the  committee  chosen  by  congress  to  draught  an  answer  to 
their  letter.  In  this,  it  is  related,  ''That  congress  will  rea- 
dily attend  to  such  terms  of  peace,  as  may  consist  with  the 
honour  of  an  independent  nation." 

In  1779,  Samuel  Adams  was  placed,  by  the  state  conven- 
tion, on  a  committee  to  prepare  and  report  a  form  of  govern- 
ment for  Massachusetts.  By  this  committee  he  and  John 
Adams  were  appointed  a  sub-committee  to  furnish  a  draught  of 
the  constitution.  The  draught  produced  by  them  was  report- 
ed to  the  convention,  and,  after  some  amendments,  accepted. 
The  address  of  the  convention  to  the  people  was  jointly  writ- 
ten by  them. 

In  1787,  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  Massachusetts 
convention  for  the  ratification  of  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States.  He  had  some  objections  to  it  in  its  reported  form ; 
the  principal  of  which  was  to  that  article  which  rendered  the 
several  states  amenable  to  the  courts  of  the  nation.  He 
thought  that  this  would  reduce  them  to  mere  corporations. 
There  was  a  very  powerful  opposition  to  it,  and  some  of  its 
most  zealous  friends  and  supporters  were  fearful  that  it  would 
not  be  accepted. 

Mr.  Adams  had  not  then  given  his  sentiments  upon  it  in  the 
convention,  but  regularly  attended  the  debates.  Some  of  the 
leading  advocates  waited  upon  Mr.  Adams  to  ascertain  his 
opinions  and  wishes,  in  a  private  manner.  Mr.  Adams  sta- 
ted his  objections,  and  stated  that  he  should  not  give  it  his 
support,  unless  certain  amendments  were  recommended  to  be 
adopted.  These  he  enumerated.  Mr.  Adams  prepared  his 
amendments,  which  were  brought  before  the  convention,  and 
referred  to  a  committee,  who  made  some  inconsiderable  al- 
terations, with  which  the  constitution  was  accepted.  Some 
of  these  were  afterwards  agreed  to  as  amendments,  and  form, 
at  present,  a  part  of  that  instrument. 

In  1789,  he  was  elected  lieutenant  governor  of  the  state  of 
Massachusetts,  and  continued  to  fill  that  office  till  1794,  when 
he  was  chosen  governor  of  that  state.  He  was  annually  re- 
elected till  1797,  when,  oppressed  with  years  and  bodily  in- 
firmities, he  declined  being  again  a  candidate,  and  retired  t<» 
private  life. 

After  many  years  of  incessant  exertion,  employed  in  the 
establishment  of  the  independence  of  America,  he  died  on  the 
3rd  of  October,  1803,  in  the  82d  year  of  his  age,  in  indigent 
circumstances. 

Though  poor  he  possessed  a  lofty  and  incorruptible  spirit, 
and  looked  with  disregard  upon  riches,  if  not  with  contempt ; 
while  at  the  same  time  he  did  not  attempt  to  disguise  that  re- 


ADAMS.  19 

putation  and  popular  influence  were  the  great  objects  of  his 
ambition. 

His  private  morals  were  pure,  his  manners  grave  and  aus- 
tere, and  bis  conversation,  which  generally  turned  on  public 
characters  and  events,  hold,  decided,  and  sometimes  coarse. 
Besides  the  occurrences  of  the  passing  day,  he  is  said  to  have 
had  three  topics  of  conversation  on  which  he  delighted  to  ex- 
patiate, and  to  have  always  dwelt  upon  w  it h  great  earnestness ; 
British  oppression,  the  manners,  laws,  and  customs  of  New 
England,  and  the  importance  to  every  republican  government, 
of  public  schools  for  the  instruction  of  the  whole  population 
of  the  state. 

The  person  of  Samuel  Adams  was  of  the  middle  size.  His 
countenance  was  a  true  index  of  his  mind,  and  possessed  those 
lofty  and  elevated  characteristics,  which  are  always  found  to 
accompany  true  greatness. 

He  was  a  steady  professor  of  the  Christian  religion,  and 
uniformly  attended  public  worship.  His  family  devotions 
were  regularly  performed,  and  his  morality  was  never  im- 
peached. 

In  his  manners  and  deportment,  he  was  sincere  and  unaf- 
fected :  in  conversation,  pleasing  and  instructive;  and  in  his 
friendships,  steadfast  and  affectionate. 

His  revolutionary  labours  were  not  surpassed  by  those  of 
any  individual.  From  the  commencement  of  the  dispute  with 
Great  Britain,  he  was  incessantly  employed  in  public  service; 
opposing  at  one  time,  the  supremacy  of  "parliament  in  all 
cases ;"  taking  the  lead  in  questions  of  controverted  policy 
with  the  royal  governors  ;  writing  state  papers  from  1765  to 
1774;  in  planning  and  organizing  clubs  and  committees;  ha- 
ranguing in  town  meetings,  or  filling  the  columns  of  public, 
prints  adapted  to  the  spirit  and  temper  of  the  times.  In  addi- 
tion to  these  occupations,  he  maintained  an  extensive  ami  la- 
borious correspondence  with  the  friends  of  American  free- 
dom in  Great  Britain  and  in  the  provinces. 

His  private  habits,  which  were  simple,  frugal,  and  unosten- 
tatious, led  him  to  despise  the  luxury  and  parade  affected. by 
the  crown  officers  ;  and  his  detestation  of  royalty,  and  privi- 
leged classes,  which  no  man  could  have  felt  more  deeply,  stim- 
ulated him  to  persevere  in  a  course,  which  he  conscientiously 
believed  to  be  his  duty  to  pursue,  for  the  welfare  of  his 
country. 

The  motives  by  which  he  was  actuated,  were  not  a  sudden 
ebullition  of  temper,  nor  a  transient  impulse  of  resentment, 
but  they  were  deliberate,  methodical  and  unyielding.  There 
was  no  pause,  no  hesitation,  no  despondency;  every  day  and 
every  hour,  was  employed  in  some  contribution  towards  the 


20  ADAMS. 

main  design,  it  not  in  action,  in  writing ;  if  not  with  the  pen, 
•  in  conversation  ;  if  not  in  talking,  in  meditation.  The  means 
he  advised  were  persuasion,  petition,  remonstrance,  resolu- 
tions, and  when  all  failed,  defiance  and  extermination  sooner 
than  submission.  With  this  unrelenting  and  austere  spirit, 
there  was  nothing  ferocious,  or  gloomy,  or  arrogant  in  his 
demeanor.  His  aspect  was  mild,  dignified  and  gentlemanly. 
In  his  own  state,  or  in  the  congress  of  the  union,  he  was  al- 
ways the  advocate  of  the  strongest  measures,  and  in  the  dark- 
est hour  he  never  wavered  nor  desponded. 

No  man  was  more  intrepid  and  dauntless,  when  encompass- 
ed by  dangers,  or  more  calm  and  unmoved  amid  public  disas- 
ters and  adverse  fortune.  His  bold  and  daring  conduct  and 
language,  subjected  him  to  great  personal  hazards.  Had  any 
fatal  event  occurred  to  our  country,  by  which  she  had  fallen 
in  her  struggle  for  liberty,  Samuel  Adams  would  have  been 
the  first  victim  of  ministerial  vengeance.  His  blood  Avould 
have  been  first  shed  as  a  sacrifice  on  the  altar  of  tyranny,  for 
the  noble  magnanimity  and  independence,  with  which  he  de- 
fended the  cause  of  freedom.  But  such  was  his  firmness,  that 
he  would  have  met  death  with  as  much  composure,  as  he  re- 
garded it  with  unconcern. 

His  writings  were  numerous,  and  much  distinguished  for 
their  elegance  and  fervour :  but  unfortunately  the  greater  part 
of  them  have  been  lost,  or  so  distributed,  as  to  render  their 
collection  impossible. 

He  was  the  author  of  a  letter  to  the  earl  of  Hillsborough  ; 
of  many  political  essays  directed  against  the  administration 
of  governor  Shirley  ;  of  a  letter  in  answer  of  Thomas  Paine, 
in  defence  of  Christianity,  and  of  an  oration  published  in  the 
year  1776.  Four  letters  of  his  correspondence  on  government, 
are  extant,  and  were  published  in  a  pamphlet  form  in  1800. 

Mr.  Adams's  eloquence  was  of  a  peculiar  character.  His 
language  was  pure,  concise,  and  impressive.  He  was  more 
logical  than  figurative.  His  arguments  were  addressed  rather 
to  the  understanding,  than  to  the  feelings ;  yet  he  always  en- 
gaged the  deepest  attention  of  his  audience.  On  ordinary  oc- 
casions, there  was  nothing  remarkable  in  his  speeches ;  but, 
on  great  questions,  when  his  own  feelings  were  interested,  he 
would  combine  every  thing  great  in  oratory.  In  the  language 
of  an  elegant  writer,  the  great  qualities  of  his  mind  were  fully 
displayed,  in  proportion  as  the  field  for  their  exertion  was 
extended ;  and  the  energy  of  his  language  was  not  infe- 
rior to  the  depth  of  his  mind.  It  was  an  eloquence  admirably 
adapted  to  the  age  in  which  he  flourished,  and  exactly  calcu- 
lated to  attain  the  object  of  his  pursuit.  It  may  well  be  de- 
scribed in  the  language  of  the  poet,  "thoughts  which  breathe, 


ALLEN.  21 

and  words  which  burn."  An  eloquence,  not  consisting  of 
theatrical  gesture,  or  with  the  sublime  enthusiasm  and  ardour 
of  patriotism ;  an  eloquence,  to  which  his  fellow-citizens  lis- 
tened with  applause  and  rapture  ;  and  little  inferior  to  the  best 
models  of  antiquity  for  simplicity,  majesty,  and  persuasion. 

The  consideration  of  the  character  of  Samuel  Adams,  when 
taken  in  connexion  with  the  uncommon  degree  of  popularity 
which  his  name  had  obtained  in  this  country,  may  suggest  an 
important  moral  lesson  to  those  of  our  youth,  whom  a  gener- 
ous ambition  incites  to  seek  the  temple  of  glory  th rough  the 
thorny  paths  of  political  strife.  Let  them  compare  him  with 
men  confessedly  very  far  his  superiors  in  every  gift  of  intel- 
lect, of  education,  and  of  fortune:  with  those  who  have  gov- 
erned empires,  and  swayed  the  fate  of  nations ;  and  then  let 
them  consi'ler  how  poor  and  how  limited  is  their  fame,  when 
placed  in  competition  with  that  of  this  humble  patriot.  The 
memory  of  those  men,  tarnished  as  it  is  by  the  history  of  their 
profligacy,  their  corruption,  and  their  crimes;  is  preserved 
only  among  the  advocates  and  slaves  of  legitimacy,  while  the 
name  of  Samuel  Adams  is  enrolled  among  the  benefactors  of 
his  country,  and  repeated  with  respect  and  gratitude  by  the 
lowest  citizens  of  a  free  state. 

ALLEN,  Ethan-,  a  brigadier  general  in  the  revolutiona- 
ry war,  was  born  in  Salisbury,  Connecticut.  While  he  was 
young,  his  parents  emigrated  to  Vermont.  At  the  commence- 
ment of  the  disturbances  in  this  territory,  about  the  year  1770, 
he  took  a  bold  and  active  part  in  favor  of  the  Green  Moun- 
tain Boys,  as  the  settlers  were  then  called,  in  opposition  to 
the  claims  of  the  government  of  the  state  of  New  York.  So 
obnoxious  had  he  rendered  himself,  that  an  act  of  outlawry 
against  him  was  passed  by  the  government  of  that  colony, 
and  five  hundred  guineas  were  offered  for  his  apprehension;  but 
his  party  was  too  numerous  and  too  faithful,  to  permit  him  to 
be  disturbed  by  any  ^prehensions  for  his  safety.  During  the 
period  that  this  subject  was  agitated,  in  all  the  struggles 
which  it  occasioned,  and  in  which  he  took  a  part,  he  was 
uniformly  successful.  He  not  only  proved  a  valuable  friend 
to  those,  whose  cause  he  had  espoused,  but  he  was  humane  and 
generous  towards  those  with  whom  he  had  to  contend.  When 
called  to  take  the  field,  lie  showed  himself  an  able  leader  and 
an  intrepid  soldier. 

The  history  of  this  celebrated  controversy,  between  Ver- 
mont and  New  York,  is  fully  explained  in  the  Vermont  State 
Papers,  lately  compiled  and  published  by  William  Slade, 
Jun.  Esq.  from  which  we  select  the  following  brief  view  of 
>he  dispute: 

"It  will  be  recollected  that  the  whole  property  of  the  set- 


£2  alle:n. 

tiers,  on  the  New-Hampshire  grants,  had  been  long  put  at 
hazard  by  the  claims  of  New-York.  In  face  of  the  royal  pro- 
hibition of  the  24th  of  July,  1767,  the  government  of  that 
Province  had  proceeded  to  convey  the  lands,  occupied  under 
grants  from  the  same  royal  authority.  The  Courts  at  Alba- 
ny had,  uniformly,  decided  in  favor  of  the  New- York  grantees. 
Writs  of  possession  had  been  issued;  the  execution  of  which 
was  regarded  by  the  settlers  as  nothing  less  than  legalized 
robbery.  They  therefore  resisted;  and,  for  uniting  in  this 
resistance,  had  been  indicted  as  rioters,  and  subjected  to  heavy 
penalties.  Notwithstanding  the  attempt  which  had  been 
made  to  arrest  the  progress  of  the  controversy,  it  does  not  ap- 
pear that  the  government  of  New-York  had,  at  any  time,  ta- 
ken measures  to  restrain  the  location  and  settlement  of  lands 
under  New- York  titles.  The  bone  of  contention,  therefore, 
still  remained;  and  the  failure  of  an  attempted  reconciliation 
had  served  to  embitter  the  resentment  of  the  contending  par- 
ties, and  produce  a  state  of  hostility,  more  decided  and  alarm- 
ing. 

"The  mass  of  the  settlers,  on  the  New  Hampshire  grants, 
consisted  of  a  brave,  hardy  race  of  men.  Their  minds,  na- 
turally strong  and  active,  had  been  roused  to  the  exercise  of 
their  highest  energies,  in  a  controversy,  involving  every  thing 
that  was  dear  to  them.  Though  unskilled  in  the  rules  of  lo- 
gic, they,  nevertheless,  reasoned  conclusively;  and  having 
once  come  to  a  decision,  they  wanted  not  the  courage  or  con- 
duct necessary  to  carry  it  into  execution. 

"Foremost  among  them,  stood  Ethan  Axlen.  Bold,  ar- 
dent, and  unyielding;  possessing  a  vigorous  intellect,  and  an 
uncommon  share  of  self-confidence,  he  was  peculiarly  fitted 
to  become  a  successful  leader  of  the  opposition.  In  the  pro- 
gress of  this  controversy,  several  pamphlets  were  written  by 
him,  exhibiting,  in  a  manner  peculiar  to  himself,  and  well 
suited  to  the  state  of  public  feeling,  the«injustice  of  the  New 
York  claims.  These  pamphlets  were  extensively  circulated, 
and  contributed  much  to  inform  the  minds,  arouse  the  zeal, 
and  unite  the  efforts,  of  the  settlers." 

"Enjoying,  as  we  now  do,  the  protection  of  just  and  equal 
laws,  it  is  difficult  to  form  a  proper  estimate  of  the  measures 
we  are  reviewing.  We  shall  be  less  inclined  to  censure  them 
as  unnecessarily  severe,  if  we  reflect,  that  there  was  no  choice 
left  to  the  New-Hampshire  grantees,  between  an  entire  sur- 
render of  their  farms,  rescued  from  the  wildness  of  nature, 
and  made  valuable,  by  their  industry;  and  a  determined  and 
persevering  resistance  by  force.  Necessity  drove  them  to  re- 
sistance, and  sound  policy  dictated  that  it  should  be  of  a  cha- 
racter to  inspire  a  full  belief  that  it  would  be  made  effectual." 


ALLEN".  S3 

<<It  is  difficult  to  conjecture  what  would  have  been  the  issue 
of  this  controversy,  had  not  its  progress  been  suddenly  ar- 
rested by  the  commencement  of  the  revolutionary  war.     The 

events  of  the  memorable  19th  of  April.  1775,  produced  a 
shock,  which  was  felt  to  every  extremity  of  the  colonies:  and 

"local  and  provincial  contests  were,  at  once,  swallowed  up 
by  the  novelty,  the  grandeur,  and  the  importance  of  the  con- 
test thus  opened  bf  tv  eei.  Great  Britain  and  America." 

The  news  of  The  battle  of  Lexington  determined  col  .-.el 
Alien  to  engage  on  the  side  of  his  country,  and  inspired  birn 
with  the  desire  of  demonstrating  his  attachment  to  liberty  by- 
some  hold  exploit.  While  his  mind  was  in  this  state,  a  plan 
for  taking  Ticonderoga  and  Crown  Point  by  surprise,  which 
was  formed  by  several  gentlemen  in  Connecticut,  was  com- 
municated to  him.  and  he  readily  engaged  in  the  project. 
Receiving  directions  from  the  general  assembly  of  Connecti- 
cut, to  raise  the  green  mountain  boys,  and  conduct  the  enter- 
prise, he  collected  two  hundred  of  the  hardy  settlers,  and  pro- 
ceeded to  Castleton.  Here  he  was  unexpectedly  joined  by  col- 
onel Arnold,  who  had  been  commissioned  by  the  Massachu- 
setts' committee  to  raise  four  hundred  men  and  effert  the  same 
object,  which  was  now-  about  to  be  accomplished,  As  he  had 
not  raised  the  men.  he  was  admitted  to  act  as  assistant  to  col- 
onel Allen.  They  reached  the  lake  opposite  Ticonderoga  on 
the  evening  of  the  9th  of  May.  1775.  With  the  utmost  diffi- 
culty, boats  were  procured,  and  eighty -three  men  were  landed 
near  the  garrison.  The  approach  of  day  rendering  it  danger- 
ous to  wait  for  the  rear,  it  was  determined  immediately  to  pro- 
ceed. The  commander  in  chief  now  addressed  his  men.  repre- 
senting that  they  had  been,  for  a  number  of  years,  a  scourge  to 
arbitrary  power,  and  famed  for  their  valor:  and  concluded 
with  saying.  'T  now  propose  to  advance  before  you,  and  in  per- 
son conduct  you  through  the  wicket  gate,  and  you  that  w  ill  go 
with  me  voluntarily  in  this  desperate  attempt,  poise  your  fire- 
locks." At  the  head  of  the  centre  file  he  marched  instantly  to 
the  gate,  where  a  sentry  snapped  his  gun  at  him.  and  retreat- 
ed through  the  covered  way:  he  pressed  forward  into  the  fort, 
and  formed  his  men  on  the  parade  in  such  a  manner  as  to  face 
two  opposite  barracks.  Three  huzzas  awakened  the  garri- 
son. A  sentry,  who  asked  quarter,  pointed  out  the  apart- 
ments of  the  commanding  officer:  and  Allen,  with  a  drawn 
sword  over  the  head  of  captain  De  la  Place,  who  was  un- 
dressed, demanded  the  surrender  of  the  fort.  "By  what  au- 
thority do  you  demand  it?"  inquired  the  astonished  comman- 
der. 4,I  demand  it,"  said  Allen,  "in  the  name  of  the  great 
Jehovah  and  of  the  continental  congress."  The  summons 
could  not  be  disobeved.  and  the  fort  with  its  very  valuable 


24  ALLEN. 

stores  and  forty -nine  prisoners,  was  immediately  surrendered. 
Crown  Point  was  taken  the  same  day,  and  the  capture  of  a 
sloop  of  war  soon  afterwards  made  Allen  and  his  brave  party 
complete  masters  of  lake  Champlain. 

In  the  fall  of  1775,  he  was  sent  twice  into  Canada,  to  ob- 
serve the  dispositions  of  the  people,  and  attach  them,  if  possi- 
ble, to  the  American  cause.  During  this  last  tour,  colonel 
Brown  met  him,  and  proposed  an  attack  on  Montreal,  in  con- 
cert. The  proposal  was  eagerly  embraced,  and  colonel  Al- 
len with  one  hundred  and  ten  men,  near  eighty  of  whom  were 
Canadians,  crossed  the  river  in  the  night  of  the  24th  of  Sep- 
tember. In  the  morning  he  waited  with  impatience  for  the  sig- 
nal of  colonel  Brown,  who  agreed  to  co-operate  with  him;  but 
he  waited  in  vain.  He  made  a  resolute  defence  against  an  at- 
tack of  live  hundred  men,  and  it  was  not  till  his  own  party  was 
reduced,  by  desertions,  to  the  number  of  thirty-one*  and  he 
had  retreated  near  a  mile,  that  he  surrendered.  A  moment 
afterwards  a  furious  savage  rushed  towards  him,  and  present- 
ed his  firelock  with  the  intent  of  killing  him.  It  was  only  by 
making  use  of  the  body  of  the  officer,  to  whom  he  had  given 
his  sword,  as  a.  shield,  that  he  escaped  destruction. 

He  was  now  kept  for  some  time  in  irons  and  treated  with 
great  severity  and  cruelty.  He  was  sent  to  England  as  a 
prisoner,  being  assured  that  the  halter  would  be  the  reward 
of  his  rebellion  when  he  arrived  there.  After  his  arrival, 
about  the  middle  of  December,  he  was  lodged  for  a  short 
time  in  Pendennis  castle,  near  Falmouth.  On  the  8th  of  Ja- 
nuary, 1776,  he  was  put  on  board  a  frigate  and  by  a  circuitous 
route  carried  to  Halifax.  Here  he  remained  confined  in  the 
jail  from  June  to  October,  when  he  was  removed  to  New  York. 
During  the  passage  to  this  place,  captain  Burke,  a  daring 
prisoner,  proposed  to  kill  the  British  captain  and  seize  the 
frigate;  but  colonel  Allen  refused  to  engage  in  the  plot,  and 
was,  probably,  the  means  of  preserving  the  life  of  captain 
Smith,  who  had  treated  him  very  politely.  He  was  kept  at 
New  York,  about  a  year  and  a  half,  sometimes  imprisoned 
and  sometimes  permitted  to  be  on  parole.  While  here,  he  had 
an  opportunity  to  observe  the  inhuman  manner,  in  which  the 
American  prisoners  were  treated.  In  one  of  the  churches,  in 
whicb  they  were  crowded,  he  saw  seven  lying  dead  at  one 
time,  and  others  biting  pieces  of  chips  from  hunger.  He  cal- 
culated, that  of  the  prisoners  taken  at  Long  Island  and  fort 
Washington,  near  two  thousand  perished  by  hunger  and  cold, 
or  in  consequence  of  diseases  occasioned  by  the  impurity  of 
their  prisons. 

Colonel  Allen  was  exchanged  for  colonel  Campbell,  May  6, 
1778,  and  after  having  repaired  to  head  quarters,  and  offer- 


ALLEN.  S3 

ed  his  services  to  general  Washington  in  case  his  health  should 
be  restored,  he  returned  to  Vermont.  His  arrival  on  the 
evening  of  the  last  of  May,  gave  his  friends  great  joy,  and  it 
was  announced  by  the  discharge  of  cannon.  As  an  expression 
of  confidence  in  his  patriotism  and  military  talents,  he  was 
very  soon  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  state  militia.  It 
docs  not  appear,  however,  that  his  intrepidity  was  ever  again 
brought  to  the  test,  though  his  patriotism  was  tried  by  an  un- 
successful attempt  of  the  British  to  bribe  him  to  attempt  a 
union  of  Vermont  with  Canada.  He  died  suddenly  at  his 
estate  in  Colchester,  February  13,  1789. 

Colonel  Allen  possessed  a  mind  naturally  strong,  vigorous 
and  eccentric,  but  it  had  not  been  improved  by  an  early  edu- 
cation. He  was  brave  in  the  most  imminent  danger,  and 
possessed  a  bold,  daring,  and  adventurous  spirit,  which  nei- 
ther feared  dangers  nor  regarded  difficulties.  He  was  also 
ingenuous,  frank,  generous  and  patriotic,  which  are  the  usual 
accompanying  virtues  of  native  bravery  and  courage.  He 
wrote  and  published  a  narrative  of  his  sufferings  during  his 
imprisonment  in  England  and  in  New  York;  comprising  also 
various  observations  upon  the  events  of  the  war.  the  conduct 
of  the  British,  and  their  treatment  of  their  prisoners. 

ALLEN,  Euenezer,  was  one  of  the  first  soldiers  of  the 
revolution.  He  was  in  the  party  that  went  against  Ticoude- 
roga.  With  forty  men  he  went  upon  the  hill  Defiance,  and 
carried  the  fortress  without  loss  of  a  man.  He  also  distin- 
guished himself  in  the  battle  of  Bennington;  taking  advan- 
tage of  a  breastwork  of  rocks,  he  contended  with  the  front  of 
the  enemy,  till  he  caused  a  temporary  retreat.  He  was  among 
those  who  exerted  themselves  in  making  Vermont  a  separate 
state,  and  lived  to  see  not  only  the  wilderness  subdued,  where 
he  first  ploughed  the  ground,  but  the  places  filled  with  inhab- 
itants. The  account  of  his  death  is  mentioned  in  the  newspa- 
pers of  the  year  1805. 

ALLEN,  Moses,  minister  of  Midway.  Georgia,  and  a  dis- 
tinguished friend  of  his  country,  Avas  born  in  Northampton, 
Massachusetts,  September  14,  1748,  He  was  educated  at  the 
college  in  New  Jersey,  where  he  graduated  in  1776,  and  was 
licensed  by  the  presbytery  of  New  Brunswick,  February  1, 
1774,  and  recommended  by  them  as  an  ingenious,  prudent, 
pious  man.  In  March  following  he  preached  first  at  Christ's 
church  parish,  about  twenty  miles  from  Charleston,  in  South 
Carolina.  Here  he  was  ordained,  March  1 6, 1775,  by  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Zubly,  Mr.  Edmonds  and  William  Tennent.  He  preach- 
ed his  farewell  sermon  in  this  place.  June  8,  1776,  and  was 
soon  afterwards  established  at  Midway,  to  which  place  he 
had  been  earnestly  solicited  to  remove. 

4 


26  ALEXANDER. 

The  British  army  from  Florida  under  General  Prevost  dis- 
persed his  society  in  1778,  and  burned  the  meeting  house,  al- 
most every  dwelling  house,  and  the  crops  of  rice  then  in 
stacks.  In  December,  when  Savannah  was  reduced  by  the 
British  troops,  he  was  taken  prisoner.  The  continental  offi- 
cers were  sent  to  Sunbury  on  parole,  but  Mr.  Allen,  wbo  was 
chaplain  to  the  Georgia  brigade,  was  denied  that  privilege. 
His  warm  exhortations  from  the  pulpit,  and  his  animated  ex- 
ertions in  the  field  exposed  him  to  the  particular  resentment 
of  the  British.  They  sent  him  on  board  the  prison  ships. 
Wearied  with  a  confinement  of  a  number  of  weeks  in  a  loath- 
some place,  and  seeing  no  prospect  of  relief,  he  determined  to 
attempt  the  recovery  of  his  liberty  by  throwing  himself  in  the 
river,  and  swimming  to  an  adjacent  point;  but  Le  was  drown- 
ed in  the  attempt  on  the  evening  of  February  8,  1779,  in  the 
31st  year  of  his  age.  His  body  was  washed  on  a  neighbor- 
ing island,  and  was  found  by  some  of  his  friends.  They  re- 
quested of  the  captain  of  a  British  vessel  some  boards  to  make 
a  coffin,  but  could  not  procure  them. 

Mr.  Allen,  notwithstanding  his  clerical  function,  appeared 
among  the  foremost  in  the  day  of  battle,  and  on  all  occasions 
sought  the  post  of  danger  as  the  post  of  honor.  The  friends 
of  independence  admired  him  for  his  popular  talents,  his  cou- 
rage, and  his  many  virtues.  The  enemies  of  independence 
could  accuse  him  of  nothing  more,  than  a  vigorous  exertion 
of  all  his  powers  in  defending  what  he  conscientiously  believ- 
ed to  be  the  rights  of  his  injured  country. 

ALEXANDER,  William,  commonly  called  lord  Ster- 
ling, a  major-general  in  the  American  army,  in  the  revolu- 
tionary war  with  Great  Britain,  was  a  native  of  the  city  of 
New  York,  but  spent  a  considerable  part  of  his  life  in  New 
Jersey.  He  was  considered  by  many  as  the  rightful  heir  to 
the  title  and  estate  of  an  earldom  in  Scotland,  of  which  coun- 
try his  father  was  a  native;  and  although,  when  he  went  to 
North  Britain  in  pursuit  of  this  inheritance,  he  failed  of  ob- 
taining an  acknowledgment  of  his  claim  by  go\ernment:  yet, 
among  his  friends  and  acquaintances,  lie  received  by  courtesy 
the  title  of  lord  Sterling.  He  discovered  an  early  fondness 
for  the  study  of  mathematics  and  astronomy,  and  attained 
great  eminence  in  these  sciences. 

In  the  battle  on  Long  Island,  August  27, 1 776,  lie  was  taken 
prisoner,  after  having  secured  to  a  large  part  of  the  de- 
tachment an  opportunity  to  escape  by  a  bold  attack,  with  four 
hundred  men,  upon  a  corps  under  lord  Cornwallis.  In  the 
battle  of  Germantown,  his  division  and  the  brigades  of  Gen- 
erals Nash  and  Maxwell,  formed  the  corps  de  reserve.  At  the 
battle  of  Monmouth  he  commanded  the  left  wing  of  the  Ame- 
rican army. 


ALEXANDER.  27 

Ramsay,  in  his  history  of  the  American  revolution,  gives 
the  following  account  of  the  battle  of  Monmouth: 

"The  royal  army  passed  over  the  Delaware  into  New  Jer- 
sey. General  Washington,  having  penetrated  into  their  de- 
sign of  evacuating  Philadelphia,  had  previously  detached  gen- 
eral Maxwell's  brigade,  to  co-operate  with  the  Jersey  militia 
in  obstructing  their  progress,  till  time  would  be  given  for  his 
army  to  overtake  them.  The  British  were  encumbered  with 
enormous  baggage,  which,  together  with  the  impediments 
thrown  into  their  way,  greatly  retarded  their  march.  The 
American  army,  having,  in  pursuit  of  the  British,  crossed 
the  Delaware,  six  hundred  men  were  immediately  detached, 
under  colonel  Morgan,  to  reinforce  general  Maxwell.  Wash- 
ington halted  his  troops,  when  they  had  marched  to  the  vicin- 
ity of  Princeton.  The  general  officers  in  the  American  army, 
being  asked  by  the  commander  in  chief,  "Will  it  be  advisa- 
ble to  hazard  a  general  action"  answered  in  the  negative, 
but  recommended  a  detachment  of  fifteen  hundred  men,  to  be 
immediately  sent,  to  act  as  occasion  might  serve,  on  the  ene- 
my's left  flank  and  rear.  This  was  immediately  forwarded 
under  general  Scott.  When  sir  Henry  Clinton  had  advanced 
to  Allentown,  he  determined,  instead  of  keeping  the  direct 
road  towards  Staten  Island,  to  draw  towards  the  sea  coast 
and  to  pass  on  towards  Sandy  Hook.  General  Washington, 
on  receiving  intelligcncethat  sir  Henry  was  proceeding  in 
that  direction  towards  Monmouth  court-house,  despatched 
one  thousand  men  under  general  Wayne,  and  sent  the  mar- 
quis de  la  Fayette  to  take  command  of  the  whole  advanced 
corps,  with  orders  to  seize  the  first  fair  opportunity  of  attack- 
ing the  enemy's  rear.  General  Lee,  who,  having  been  late- 
ly exchanged,  had  joined  the  army,  was  offered  this  command, 
but  he  declined  it,  as  he  was  in  principle  against  hazarding 
an  attack.  The  whole  army  followed  at  a  proper  distance, 
for  supporting  the  advanced  corps,  and  readied  Cranberry 
the  next  morning.  Sir  Henry  Clinton,  sensible  of  the  ap- 
proach of  the  Americans,  placed  his  grenadiers,  light  infan- 
try and  chasseurs,  in  his  rear,  and  his  baggage  in  his  front. 
General  Washington  increased  his  advanced  corps  with  two 
brigades,  and  sent  general  Lee,  who  now  wished  for  the  com- 
mand, to  take  charge  of  the  whole,  and  followed  with  the  main 
army  to  give  it  support.  On  the  next  morning  orders  were 
sent  to  Lee,  to  move  on  and  attack,  unless  there  should  be 
powerful  reasons  to  the  contrary;  When  Washington  had 
marched  about  five  miles,  to  support  the  advanced  corps,  he 
found  the  whole  of  it  retreating  by  Lee's  orders,  and  without 
having  made  any  opposition  of  consequence.  Washington 
rode  up  to  Lee  and  proposed  certain  questions  to  him,  which 


28  ALEXANDER. 

implied  censure.  Lee  answered  with  warmth  and  unsuitable 
language.  The  commander  in  chief  ordered  colonel  Stewart's 
and  lieutenant  colonel  Ramsay's  battalions,  to  form  on  a  piece 
of  ground,  which  he  judged  suitable  for  giving  a  check  to  the 
advancing  enemy.  Lee  was  then  asked  if  he  would  command 
on  that  ground,  to  which  he  consented,  and  was  ordered  to 
take  proper  measures  for  checking  the  enemy,  to  which  he 
replied,  "your  orders  shall  be  obeyed,  and  I  will  not  be  the 
first  to  lca\e  the  field."  Washington  then  rode  to  the  main 
army,  which  was  formed  with  the  utmost  expedition.  A  warm 
cannonade  immediately  commenced,  between  the  British  and 
American  artillery,  and  heavy  firing  between  the  advanced 
troops  of  the  British  army,  and  the  two  battalions  which  gen- 
eral Washington  had  halted.  These  stood  their  ground,  till 
they  were  intermixed  with  a  part  of  the  British  army.  Lieu- 
tenant colonel  Ramsay,  the  commander  of  one  of  them,  was 
wounded  and  taken  prisoner.  General  Lee  continued  till  the 
last  on  the  field  of  battle,  and  brought  off  the  rear  of  the  re- 
treating troops. 

"The  check  the  British  received,  gave  time  to  make  a  dis- 
position of  the  left  wing,  and  second  line  of  the  American 
army  in  the  wood,  and  on  the  eminence  to  which  Lee  was  re- 
treating. On  this  some  camion  were  placed  by  lord  Ster- 
ling, who  commanded  the  left  wing,  which,  with  the  co-oper- 
ation of  some  parties  of  infantry,  effectually  stopped  the  ad- 
vance of  the  British  in  that  quarter.  General  Greene  took 
a  very  advantageous  position,  on  the  right  of  lord  Sterling. 
The  British  attempted  to  turn  the  left  flank  of  the  Americans, 
but  were  repulsed.  They  also  made  a  movement  to  the  right, 
with  as  little  success,  for  Greene  with  artillery  disappointed 
their  design.  Wayne  advanced  with  a  body  of  troops,  and 
kept  up  so  severe  and  well  directed  a  fire,  that  the  British 
were  soon  compelled  to  give  way.  They  retired  and  took  the 
position  which  Lee  had  before  occupied.  Washington  re- 
solved to  attack  them,  and  ordered  general  Poor  to  move 
round  upon  their  right,  and  general  Woodford  to  their  left: 
but  they  could  not  get  within  reach  before  it  was  dark.  These 
remained  on  the  ground  which  they  had  been  directed  to  oc- 
cupy during  the  night,  with  an  intention  of  attacking,  early 
next  morning,  and  the  main  body  lay  on  their  arms  in  the 
field  to  be  ready  for  supporting  them.  General  Washington 
reposed  himself  in  his  cloak,  under  a  tree,  in  hopes  of  renew- 
ing the  action  the  next  day.  But  these  hopes  were  frustrat- 
ed: The  British  troops  marched  away  in  the  night,  in  such 
silence,  that  general  Poor,  though  he  lay  very  near  them, 
knew  nothing  of  their  departure.  They  left  behind  them, 
four  officers  and  about  forty  privates,  all  so  badly  wounded, 


ARNOLD.  29 

that  they  could  not  be  removed.  Their  other  wounded  were 
carried  off.  The  British  pursued  their  march  without  fur- 
ther interruption,  and  soon  reached  the  neighborhood  of  San- 
dy Hook,  without  the  loss  of  either  their  covering  party  or 
baggage.  The  American  general  declined  all  further  pursuit 
of  the  royal  army,  and  soon  after  drew  off  his  troops  to  the 
borders  of  the  North  river.  The  loss  of  the  Americans,  in 
killed  and  wounded,  was  about  two  hundred  and  fifty.  The 
Joss  of  the  royal  army,  inclusive  of  prisoners,  was  about  three 
hundred  and  fifty.  Lieutenant  colonel  Monckton,  one  of  the. 
British  slain,  on  account  of  his  singular  merit,  was  univer- 
sally lamented.  Colonel  Bonner,  of  Pennsylx  ania,  and  major 
Dickenson,  of  Virginia,  officers  highly  esteemed  by  their  coun- 
try, fell  in  this  engagement.  The  emotions  of  the  mind, 
added  to  fatigue  in  a  very  hot  day,  brought  on  such  a  fatal 
suppression  of  the  vital  powers,  that  some  of  the  Americans, 
and  fifty-nine  of  the  British  were  found  dead  on  the  field  of 
battle,  without  any  marks  of  violence  upon  their  bodies." 

Lord  Sterling  died  at  Albany,  January  15,  1783,  aged  57 
years.     He  was  a  brave,  discerning,  and  intrepid  officer. 

ARNOLD,  Benedict,  a  major  general  in  the  American 
army,  during  the  revolutionary  war,  and  infamous  for  desert- 
ing the  cause  of  his  country,  was  early  chosen  captain  of  a 
volunteer  company  in  New  Haven,  Connecticut,  where  he 
lived.  After  hearing  of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  he  immedi- 
ately marched,  with  his  company,  for  the  American  head 
quarters,  and  reached  Cambridge,  April  29,  1775. 

He  immediately  waited  on  the  Massachusetts  committee  of 
safety,  and  informed  them  of  the  defenceless  state  of  Ticon- 
deroga.  The  committee  appointed  him  a  colonel,  and  com- 
missioned him  to  raise  four  hundred  men,  and  to  take  that 
fortress.  He  proceeded  directly  to  Vermont,  and  when  he 
arrived  at  Castleton  was  attended  by  one  servant  only.  Here 
he  joined  colonel  Allen,  and  on  the  10th  of  May  the  fortress 
was  taken. 

In  the  fall  of  1775,  he  was  sent  by  the  commander  in  chief 
to  penetrate  through  the  wilderness  of  the  district  of  Maine, 
into  Canada.  On  thel6th  of  September,  he  commenced  his 
march  with  about  one  thousand  men,  consisting  of  New  Eng- 
land infantry,  some  volunteers,  a  company  of  artillery,  and 
three  companies  of  riflemen.  One  division  was  obliged  to  re- 
turn, or  it  would  have  perished  by  hunger.  After  sustain- 
ing almost  incredible  hardships,  he,  in  six  weeks,  arrived  at 
Point  Levi,  opposite  Quebec.  The  appearance  of  an  army, 
emerging  from  the  wilderness,  threw  the  city  into  the  greatest 
consternation.     In  this  moment  of  surprise  Arnold  might  pro- 


so  ARNOLD. 

bably  have  become  master  of  the  place,  but  the  small  crafts 
and  boats  in  the  river  were  removed  out  of  his  reach. 

It  seems  that  his  approach  was  not  altogether  unexpected. 
He  had,  imprudently,  a  number  of  days  before,  sent  forward 
a  letter  to  a  friend  by  an  Indian,  who  betrayed  him.  A  de- 
lay of  several  days  on  account  of  the  difficulty  of  passing  the 
river  was  inevitable,  and  the  critical  moment  was  lost. 

On  the  14th  of  November  he  crossed  the  St.  Lawrence  in 
the  night;  and,  ascending  the  precipice,  which  Wolfe  had 
climbed  before  him,  formed  his  small  corps  on  the  height, 
near  the  memorable  plains  of  Abraham.  With  only  about 
seven  hundred  men,  one  third  of  whose  muskets  had  been  ren- 
dered useless  in  the  march  through  the  wilderness,  success 
could  not  be  expected.  After  parading  some  days  on  the 
heights,  near  the  town,  and  sending  two  flags  to  summon  the 
inhabitants,  he  retired  to  Point  aux  Trembles,  twenty  miles 
above  Quebec,  and  there  waited  the  arrival  of  Montgomery, 
who  joined  him  on  the  first  of  December.  The  city  was  im- 
mediately besieged,  but  the  best  measures  had  been  taken  for 
its  defence.  On  the  morning  of  the  last  day  of  the  year,  an 
assault  was  made  on  the  one  side  of  the  city  by  Montgomery, 
who  was  killed.  At  the  same  time,  colonel  Arnold,  at  the 
head  of  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  men,  made  a  desperate 
attack  on  the  opposite  side.  Advancing  with  the  utmost  in- 
trepidity along  the  St.  Charles,  through  a  narrow  path,  ex^ 
posed  to  an  incessant  fire  of  grape  shot  and  musquetry,  as  he 
approached  the  first  barrier  he  received  a  musket  ball  in  the 
leg,  which  shattered  the  bone;  and  he  was  carried  off  to  the 
camp.  Though  the  attack  was  unsuccessful,  the  blockade  of 
Quebec  was  continued  till  May,  1776,  when  the  army,  which 
was  in  no  condition  to  risk  an  assault,  was  removed  to  a 
more  defensible  position.  Arnold  was  compelled  to  relin- 
quish one  post  after  another,  till  the  18th  of  June,  when  he 
quitted  Canada.  After  this  period,  he  exhibited  great  bra- 
very in  the  command  of  the  American  fleet  on  lake  Cham- 
plain. 

In  August,  1777,  he  relieved  fort  Schuyler,  under  the  com- 
mand of  colonel  Ganscvoort,  which  was  invested  by  colonel 
St.  Lcgcr,  with  an  army  of  from  fifteen  to  eighteen  hundred 
men.  In  the  battle,  near  Stillwater,  September  19th,  he 
conducted  himself  with  his  usual  intrepidity,  being  engaged, 
incessantly,  for  four  hours.  In  the  action  of  October  7th, 
after  the  British  had  been  driven  into  the  lines,  Arnold  press- 
ed forward,  and  under  a  tremendous  fire,  assaulted  their 
works  from  right  to  left.  The  intrench ments  were  at  length 
forced,  and  with  a  few  men  he  actually  entered  the  works ; 
hut  his  horse  being  killed,  and  he  himself  badly  wounded  in 


ARNOLD.  31 

the  leg,  lie  found  it  necessary  to  withdraw,  and  as  it  was  now 
almost  dark,  to  desist  from  the  attack. 

Being  rendered  unfit  for  active  service  in  consequence  of 
his  wound,  after  the  recovery  of  Philadelphia,  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  command  of  the  American  garrison.  When 
he  entered  the  city,  he  made  the  house  of  governor  Penn,  the 
best  house  in  the  city,  his  head  quarters.  This  he  furnished 
in  a  very  costly  manner,  and  lived  far  beyond  his  income. 
He  had  wasted  the  plunder,  which  he  had  seized  at  Montreal, 
in  his  retreat  from  Canada;  and  at  Philadelphia,  he  was  de- 
termined to  make  new  acquisitions.  He  laid  his  hands  on 
every  tiling  in  the  city,  which  could  he  considered  as  the  pro- 
perty of  those  who  were  unfriendly  to  the  cause  of  his  coun- 
try. He  was  charged  with  oppression,  extortion,  and  enor- 
mous charges  upon  the  public,  in  his  accounts;  and  with  ap- 
plying the  public  money  and  property  to  his  own  private  use. 
Such  was  his  conduct,  that  he  drew  upon  himself  the  odium 
of  the  inhabitants,  not  only  of  the  city,  but  of  the  province 
in  general.  He  was  engaged  in  trading  speculations,  and 
had  shares  in  several  privateers,  but  was  unsuccessful. 

From  the  judgment  of  the  commissioners,  who  had  been 
appointed  to  inspect  his  accounts,  and  who  had  rejected  above 
half  the  amount  of  his  demands,  he  appealed  to  congress ; 
and  they  appointed  a  committee  of  their  own  body  to  examine 
and  settle  the  business.  The  committee  confirmed  the  report 
of  the  commissioners,  and  thought  they  had  allowed  him 
more  than  he  had  any  right  to  expect  or  demand.  By  these 
disappointments  he  became  irritated,  and  he  gave  full  scope 
to  his  resentment.  His  invectives  against  congress  were  not 
less  violent,  than  those  which  he  had  before  thrown  out  against 
the  commissioners.  He  was,  however,  soon  obliged  to  abide 
the  judgment  of  a  court-martial,  upon  the  charges  exhibited 
against  him  by  the  executive  of  Pennsylvania ;  and  he  was 
subjected  to  the  mortification  of  receiving  a  reprimand  from 
Washington.  His  trial  commenced  in  June,  1778,  but  such 
were  the  delays  occasioned  by  the  movements  of  the  army, 
that  it  was  not  concluded  until  the  26th  of  January,  1779. 
The  sentence  of  a  reprimand  was  approved  by  congress,  and 
was  soon  afterwards  carried  into  execution. 

Such  was  the  humiliation,  to  which  general  Arnold  was  re- 
duced, in  consequence  of  yielding  to  the  temptations  of  pride 
and  vanity,  and  indulging  himself  in  the  pleasures  of  a  sump- 
tuous table  and  expensive  equipage. 

From  this  time,  probably,  his  proud  spirit  revolted  from 
the  cause  of  America.  He  turned  his  eyes  to  West  Point  as 
an  acquisition,  which  would  give  value  to  treason,  uhile  its 
loss  would  inflict  a  mortal  wound  on  his  former  friends.     He 


32  ARNOLD. 

addressed  himself  to  the  delegation  of  New-York,  in  which 
state  his  reputation  was  peculiarly  high  :  and  a  member  of 
congress  from  this  state,  recommended  him  to  Washington 
for  the  service  which  he  desired.  But  this  request  could  not 
be  immediately  complied  with.  The  same  application  to  the 
commander  in  chief  was  made  not  long  afterwards  through 
general  Schuyler.  Washington  observed,  that,  as  there  was 
a  prospect  of  an  active  campaign,  he  should  be  gratified  with 
the  aid  of  general  Arnold  in  the  field,  but  intimated,  at  the 
same  time,  that  he  should  receive  the  appointment  requested, 
if  it  should  be  more  pleasing  to  him. 

Arnold,  without  discovering  much  solicitude,  repaired  to 
camp  in  the  beginning  of  August  and  renewed,  in  person, 
the  solicitations,  which  had  been  before  indirectly  made.  He 
was  now  offered  the  command  of  the  left  wing  of  the  army, 
which  was  advancing  against  New-York,  but  he  declined  it 
under  the  pretext,  that  in  consequence  of  his  wounds,  he  was 
unable  to  perform  the  active  duties  of  the  field.  Without  a 
suspicion  of  his  patriotism,  he  was  invested  with  the  command 
of  West  Point.  Previously  to  his  soliciting  this  station,  he 
had,  in  a  letter  to  colonel  Robinson,  signified  his  change  of 
principles,  and  his  wish  to  restore  himself  to  the  favour  of 
his  prince,  by  some  signal  proof  of  his  repentance.  This 
letter  opened  to  him  a  correspondence  with  Sir  Henry  Clinton, 
the  object  of  which  was  to  concert  the  means  of  putting  the 
important  post,  which  he  commanded,  into  the  possession  of 
the  British  general. 

His  plan,  it  is  believed,  was  to  have  drawn  the  greater  part 
of  his  army  without  the  works,  under  the  pretext  of  fighting 
the  enemy  in  the  defiles,  and  to  have  left  unguarded  a  desig- 
nated pass,  through  which  the  assailauts  might  securely  ap- 
proach, and  surprise  the  fortress.  His  troops  he  intended  to 
place,  so  that  they  would  be  compelled  to  surrender,  or  be  cut 
in  pieces.  But  just  as  his  scheme  was  ripe  for  execution, 
the  wise  Disposer  of  events,  who  so  often  and  so  remarkably 
interposed  in  favour  of  the  American  cause,  blasted  his  de- 
signs. 

Major  Andre,  Adjutant  general  of  the  British  army,  was 
selected  as  the  person,  to  whom  the  maturing  of  Arnold's 
treason,  and  the  arrangements  for  its  execution  should  be 
committed.  A  correspondence  was,  for  some  time,  carried 
on  between  them  under  a  mercantile  disguise,  and  the  feigned 
names  of  Gustavus  and  Anderson  ;  and  at  length,  to  facilitate 
their  communications,  the  Vulture  sloop  of  war  moved  up  the 
North  river  and  took  a  station  convenient  for  the  purpose, 
but  not  so  near  as  to  excite  suspicion.  An  interview  was 
agreed  on,  and  in  the  night  of  September  the  2 1st,  1780,  he 


ARNOLD.  33 

was  taken  in  a  boat,  which  was  dispatched  for  the  purpose, 
and  carried  to  the  beach  without  the  posts  of  both  armies, 
under  a  pass  for  John  Anderson.  He  met  general  Arnold  at 
the  house  of  a  Mr.  Smith.  While  the  conference  was  yet  un- 
finished, daylight  approached  ;  and  to  avoid  the  danger  of 
discovery,  it  was  proposed,  that  he  should  remain  concealed 
till  the  succeeding  night.  He  is  understood  to  have  refused 
to  be  carried  within  the  American  posts,  but  the  promise 
made  him  by  Arnold,  to  respect  this  objection,  was  not  ob- 
served. He  was  carried  within  them  contrary  to  his  wishes 
and  against  his  knowledge.  He  continued  with  Arnold  the 
succeeding  day,  and  when,  on  the  following  night,  he  pro- 
posed to  return  to  the  Vulture,  the  boatmen  refused  to  carry 
him,  because  she  had,  during  the  day,  shifted  her  station,  in 
consequence  of  a  gun  having  been  moved  to  the  shore,  and 
brought  to  bear  upon  her.  This  embarrassing  circumstance 
reduced  him  to  the  necessity  of  endeavouring  to  reach  New- 
York  by  land.  Yielding,  with  reluctance,  to  the  urgent  re- 
presentations of  Arnold,  lie  laid  aside  his  regimentals,  which 
he  had  hitherto  worn  under  a  surtout,  and  put  on  a  plain  suit 
of  clothes  ;  and,  receiving  a  pass  from  the  American  general, 
authorising  him,  under  the  feigned  name  of  John  Anderson, 
to  proceed  on  the  public  service,  to  the  White  Plains,  or 
lower,  if  he  thought  proper,  he  set  out  on  his  return.  He 
had  passed  all  the  guards  and  posts  on  the  road  without  sus- 
picion* and  was  proceeding  to  New- York  in  perfect  security, 
when,  on  the  23d  of  September,  one  of  the  three  militia-men, 
who  were  employed  with  others  in  scouting  parties  between 
the  lines  of  the  two  armies,  springing  suddenly  from  his  co- 
vert into  the  road,  seized  the  reins  of  his  bridle  and  stopped 
his  horse.  Instead  of  producing  his  pass,  Andre,  with  a 
want  of  self-possession,  which  can  be  attributed  only  to  a 
kind  Providence,  asked  the  man  hastily,  where  he  belonged; 
and  being  answered  "to  below,"  replied  immediately,  "and 
so  do  I."  He  then  declared  himself  to  be  a  British  officer, 
on  urgent  business,  and  begged  that  he  might  not  be  detained. 
The  other  two  militia  men' coming  up  at  this  moment,  he  dis- 
covered his  mistake ;  but  it  was  too  late  to  repair  it.  He  of- 
fered a  purse  of  gold  and  his  gold  watch,  and  said,  "this 
will  convince  you  that  I  am  a  gentleman,  and  if  you  will  suf- 
fer me  to  pass*,  I  will  send  to  New  York,  and  give  you  any 
amount  you  shall  name,  in  cash,  or  in  dry  goods ;"  and,  point- 
ing to  an  adjacent  wood,  "you  may  keep  me  in  that  wood  till 
it  shall  be  delivered  to  you/'  All  his  offers,  however,  were 
rejected  with  disdain,  and  they  declared  that  ten  thousand 
guineas,  or  any  other  sum  would  be  no  temptation.     It  is  t© 

5 


U  ARNOLD. 

their  virtue,  no  less  glorious  to  America,  than  Arnold's  apoa* 
tacy  is  disgraceful,  that  his  detestable  crimes  were  discovered. 
The  militiamen,  whose  names  were  John  Paulding,  David 
Williams,  and  Isaac  Vanwert,  proceeded  to  search  him. 
They  found  concealed  in  his  boots,  exact  returns,  in  Arnold's 
hand  writing,  of  the  state  of  the  forces,  ordnance,  and  de- 
fences of  West  Point  and  its  dependencies;  critical  remarks 
on  the  works,  and  an  estimate  of  the  men  ordinarily  employ- 
ed in  them,  with  other  interesting  papers.  Andre  was  car- 
ried before  lieutenant  colonel  Jameson,  the  officer  command- 
ing the  scouting  parties  on  the  lines,  and  regardless  of  him- 
self, and  only  anxious  for  the  safety  of  Arnold,  he  still  main- 
tained the  character  which  he  had  assumed,  and  requested 
Jameson  to  inform  his  commanding  officer  that  Anderson  was 
taken.  An  express  was  accordingly  dispatched,  and  the  trai- 
tor, thus  becoming  acquainted  with  his  danger,  escaped. 

Major  Andre,  after  his  detection,  was  permitted  to  send  a 
message  to  Arnold,  to  give  him  notice  of  his  danger  ;  and 
the  traitor  found  opportunity  to  escape  on  board  the  Vulture, 
on  the  25th  of  September,  1780,  a  few  hours  before  the  return 
of  Washington,  who  had  been  absent  on  a  journey  to  Hart- 
ford, Connecticut.  It  is  supposed,  however,  that  he  would 
not  have  escaped,  had  not  an  express  to  the  commander  in 
chief,  with  an  account  of  the  capture  of  Andre,  missed  him 
by  taking  a  different  road  from  the  one  which  he  travelled. 

Arnold,  on  the  very  day  of  his  escape,  wrote  a  letter  to 
Washington,  declaring  that  the  love  of  his  country  had  gov- 
erned him  in  his  late  conduct,  and  requesting  him  to  protect 
Mrs.  Arnold.  She  was  conveyed  to  her  husband  at  New 
York,  and  his  clothes  and  baggage,  for  which  he  had  written, 
were  transmitted  to  him.  During  the  exertions  which  were 
made  to  rescue  Andre  from  the  destruction,  which  threatened 
him,  Arnold  had  the  hardihood  to  interpose.  He  appealed 
to  the  humanity  of  the  commander  in  chief,  and  then  sought 
to  intimidate  him  by  stating  the  situation  of  many  of  the  prin- 
cipal characters  of  South  Carolina,  who  had  forfeited  their 
lives,  but  had  hitherto  been  spared  through  the  clemency  of 
the  British  general.  This  clemency,  he  said,  could  no  longer, 
in  justice,  be  extended  to  them,  should  major  Andre  suffer. 

When  Arnold's  treason  was  known  at  Philadelphia,  an 
artist  of  that  city  constructed  an  effigy  of  him,  large  as  life, 
and  seated  in  a  cart,  with  the  figure  of  the  devil  at  his  elbow, 
holding  a  lantern  up  to  the  face  of  the  traitor,  to  show  him  to 
the  people,  having  his  name  and  crime  in  capital  letters. 
The  cart  was  paraded  the  whole  evening  through  the  streets 
of  the  city  with  drums  and  fifes  playing  the  rogue's  march, 
with  other  marks  of  infamy,  and  was  attended  by  a  vast  con- 


ARNOLD.  35 

course  of  people.  The  effigy  was  finally  hanged  for  the  want 
of  the  original,  and  then  committed  to  the  flames.  Yet  this 
is  the  man  on  whom  the  British  bestowed  ten  thousand  pounds 
sterling  as  the  price  of  his  treason,  and  appointed  to  the 
rank  of  brigadier  general  in  their  service.  It  could  scarcely 
be  imagined  that  there  was  an  officer  of  honour  left  in  that 
army,  who  would  debase  himself  and  his  commission  by  ser- 
ving under  or  ranking  with  Benedict  Arnold! 

Arnold  preserved  the  rank  of  brigadier  general  throughout 
the  war.  Yet  he  must  have  been  held  in  contempt  and  detes- 
tation by  the  generous  and  honourable.  It  was  impossible 
for  men  of  this  description,  even  when  acting  with  him,  to 
forget  that  he  was  a  traitor,  first  the  slave  of  his  rage,  then 
purchased  with  gold,  and  finally  secured  by  the  blood  of  one 
of  the  most  accomplished  officers  in  the  British  army.  One 
would  suppose  that  his  mind  could  not  have  been  much  at  ease; 
but  he  had  proceeded  so  far  in  vice,  that  perhaps  his  reflec- 
tions gave  him  but  little  trouble.  "lam  mistaken,"  says 
Washington,  in  a  private  letter,  "if,  at  this  time,  Arnold  is 
undergoing  the  torments  of  a  mental  hell.  He  wants  feeling. 
From  some  traits  of  his  character,  which  have  lately  come  to 
my  knowledge,  he  seems  to  have  been  so  hacknied  in  crime, 
so  lost  to  all  sense  of  honour  and  shame,  that  while  his  facul- 
ties still  enable  him  to  continue  his  sordid  pursuits,  there  will 
be  no  time  for  remorse." 

Arnold  found  it  necessary  to  make  some  exertions  to  secure 
the  attachment  of  his  new  friends.  With  the  hope  of  alluring 
many  of  the  discontented  to  his  standard,  he  published  an  ad- 
dress to  the  inhabitants  of  America,  in  which  he  endeavoured 
to  justify  his  conduct.  He  had  encountered  the  dangers  of 
the  field,  lie  said,  from  apprehension  that  the  rights  of  his  coun- 
try were  in  danger.  He  had  acquiesced  in  the  declaration  of 
independence,  though  he  thought  it  precipitate.  But  the  re- 
jection of  the  overtures,  made  by  Great  Britain  in  1778,  and 
the  French  alliance,  had  opened  his  eyes  to  the  ambitious 
views  of  those,  who  would  sacrifice  the  happiness  of  their 
country  to  their  own  aggrandizement,  and  had  made  him  a 
confirmed  loyalist.  He  artfully  mingled  assertions,  that  the 
principal  members  of  congress  held  the  people  in  sovereign 
contempt. 

This  was  followed  in  about  a  fortnight  by  a  proclamation, 
addressed  "  to  the  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  continental 
army,  who  have  the  real  interest  of  their  country  at  heart, 
and  who  are  determined  to  be  no  longer  the  tools  and  dupes  of 
congress  or  of  France."  To  induce  the  American  officers  and 
soldiers  to  desert  the  cause,  which  they  had  embraced,  he  re- 
presented that  the  corps  of  cavalry  and  infantry,  which  he 


36  AP4NOLD. 

was  authorized  to  raise,  would  be  upon  the  same  looting  with 
the  other  troops  in  the  British  service  ;  that  he  should  with 
pleasure,  advance  those,  whose  valour  he  had  witnessed  ;  and 
that  the  private  men,  who  joined  him,  should  receive  a  bounty 
of  three  guineas  each,  besides  payment,  at  the  full  value,  for 
horses,  arms,  and  accoutrements.  His  object  was  the  peace, 
liberty,  and  safety  of  America.  "  You  are  promised  liberty," 
lie  exclaims,  "but  is  there  an  individual  in  the  enjoyment  of 
it  saving  your  oppressors?  Who  among  you  dare  to  speak  or 
write  what  he  thinks  against  the  tyranny,  which  has  robbed 
you  of  your  property,  imprisons  your  persons,  drags  you  to 
the  field  of  battle,  and  is  daily  deluging  your  country  with 
your  blood?"  "What,"  he  exclaims  again,  "is  America  but 
a  land  of  widows,  orphans,  and  beggars?  As  to  you,  who 
have  been  soldiers  in  the  continental  army,  can  you  at  this 
day  want  evidence,  that  the  funds  of  your  country  are  ex- 
hausted, or  that  the  managers  have  applied  them  to  their  pri- 
vate uses?  In  either  case  you  surely  can  no  longer  continue 
in  their  service  with  honour  or  advantage.  Yet  you  have 
hitherto  been  their  supporters  in  that  cruelty,  which,  with 
equal  indifference  to  yours,  as  well  as  to  the  labour  and  blood 
of  others,  is  devouring  a  country,  that  from  the  moment  you 
quit  their  colours,  will  be  redeemed  from  their  tyranny." 

These  proclamations  did  not  produce  the  effect  designed, 
and  in  all  the  hardships,  sufferings,  and  irritations  of  the 
wrar,  Arnold  remains  the  solitary  instance  of  an  American 
officer,  who  abandoned  the  side  first  embraced  in  the  contest, 
and  turned  his  sword  upon  his  former  companions  in  arms. 

He  was  soon  despatched  by  sir  Henry  Clinton,  to  make  a 
diversion  in  Virginia.  With  about  seventeen  hundred  men 
he  arrived  in  the  Chesapeake,  in  January,  1731,  and  being- 
supported  by  such  a  naval  force,  as  was  suited  to  the  nature 
of  the  service,  he  committed  extensive  ravages  on  the  rivers 
and  along  the  unprotected  coasts.  It  is  said,  that  while  on 
this  expedition,  Arnold  enquired  of  an  American  captain, 
whom  he  had  taken  prisoner,  what  the  Americans  would  do 
with  him  if  he  should  fall  into  their  hands.  The  captain  at 
first  declined  giving  him  an  answer,  but  upon  being  repeatedly 
urged  to  it,  he  said,  "Why,  sir,  if  I  must  answer  your  ques- 
tion, you  must  excuse  my  telling  you  the  plain  truth:  if  my 
"countrymen  should  catch  you,  I  believe  they  would  Jirst  cut 
"off  that  lame  leg,  which  %cas  wounded  in  the  cause  of  freedom 
iiand  virtue,  and  bury  it  with  the  honours  of  war,  and  after- 
awards  hang  the  remainder  of  your  body  in  gibbets."  The 
reader  will  recollect  that  the  captain  alluded  to  the  wound 
Arnold  received  in  one  of  his  legs,  at  the  attack  upon  Quebec, 
in  1776. 


ARNOLD.  37 

After  his  return  from  Virginia,  he  was  appointed  to  con- 
duct an  expedition,  the  object  of  which  was  the  town  of  New- 
London,  in  his  native  county.  The  troops  employed  therein, 
were  landed  in  two  detachments,  one  on  eacli  side  of  the  har- 
bour. The  one  commanded  by  lieutenant  colonel  Eyre,  and 
the  other  by  Arnold.  He  took  fort  Trumbull  without  much 
opposition.  Fort  Griswold  was  furiously  attacked  by  lieu- 
tenant colonel  Eyre.  The  garrison  defended  themselves  with 
great  resolution,  but  after  a  severe  conflict  of  forty  minutes, 
the  fort  was  carried  by  the  enemy.  The  Americans  had  not 
more  than  six  or  seven  men  killed,  when  the  British  carried 
the  lines,  but  a  severe  execution  took  place  afterwards, 
though  resistance  had  ceased.  An  officer  of  the  conquering 
troops  enquired,  on  his  entering  the  fort,  who  commanded. 
Colonel  Ledyard,  presenting  his  sword,  answered,  "I  did, 
but  you  do  now;"  and  was  immediately  run  through  the  body 
and  killed.  Between  thirty  and  forty  were  wounded,  and 
about  forty  were  carried  off  prisoners.  On  the  part  of  the 
British  forty-eight  were  killed,  and  one  hundred  and  forty- 
five  wounded.  About  fifteen  vessels  loaded  with  the  effects  of 
the  inhabitants  retreated  up  the  river,  and  four  others  re- 
mained in  the  harbour  unhurt ;  but  all  except  these  were  burn- 
ed by  the  communication  of  fire  from  the  burning  stores. 
Sixty  dwelling  houses  and  eighty-four  stores  were  reduced  to 
ashes.  The  loss  which  the  Americans  sustained  by  the  de- 
struction of  naval  stores,  of  provisions,  and  merchandize, 
was  immense.  General  Arnold  having  completed  the  object 
of  the  expedition,  returned  in  eight  days  to  New  York. 

At  the  close  of  the  war,  he  accompanied  the  royal  army  to 
England.  '•  The  contempt  that  followed  him  through  life," 
says  a  late  elegant  writer,  "is  further  illustrated  by  the 
speech  of  the  present  lord  Lauderdale,  who,  perceiving  Ar- 
nold on  the  right  hand  of  the  king,  and  near  his  person,  as 
he  addressed  his  parliament,  declared,  on  his  return  to  the 
commons,  that,  however  gracious  the  language  he  had  heard 
from  the  throne,  his  indignation  could  not  but  be  highly  ex- 
cited, at  beholding  as  he  had  done,  his  majesty  supported  by 
a  traitor."  "And  on  another  occasion,  Lord  Surry,  since 
duke  of  Norfolk,  rising  to  speak  in  the  house  of  commons, 
and  perceiving  Arnold  in  the  gallery,  sat  down  with  precipi- 
tation, exclaiming,  *  I  will  not  speak  while  that  man,  pointing 
to  him.  is  in  the  house.' 

As  the  treason  and  treachery  of  Arnold,  and  the  capture  of 
Andre,  by  three  American  militia  men,  excited  great  interest 
and  feeling,  from  the  circumstance  that  Arnold  was  the  only 
instance  of  an  American  officer  basely  turning  against  his  coun- 
try in  that  doubtful  contest,  and  the  contrast  so  striking,  be- 


3&  BARNEY. 

tween  Arnold  and  tliose  virtuous  private  soldiers,  we  deem  it 
proper  to  refer  to  the  journals  of  the  old  congress,  for  authen- 
tic facts,  in  relation  to  this  most  important  transaction. 

On  the  30th  September,  1780,  we  find  in  the  journals, 
the  following  facts  connected  with  this  affair:  "  A  letter, 
of  the  26th,  from  general  Washington,  was  read,  confirming 
the  account  given  in  the  letter  of  the  25th,  from  major  general 
Greene,  of  the  treasonable  practices  of  major  general  Bene- 
dict Arnold,  and  his  desertion  to  the  enemy.  On  the  4th  Oc- 
tober, 1780,  congress  adopted  the  following  resolution:  Re- 
solved, That  the  board  of  war  be,  and  hereby  are  directed  to 
erase  from  the  register  of  the  names  of  the  officers  of  the  army 
of  the  United  States,  the  name  of  Benedict  Arnold." 

BARNEY,  JOSHUA,  was  born  in  Baltimore,  in  the  state 
of  Maryland,  on  the  6th  of  July,  1759.  His  parents  lived  on 
a  farm  between  the  town  and  North  Point,  where  he  was  sent 
to  school  until  ten  years  of  age,  by  which  time  he  had  learned 
all  his  master  could  teach,  reading,  writing,  and  arithmetic. 
He  was  then  put  into  a  retail  store  at  Alexandria;  but  soon 
became  tired  of  that  occupation.  In  1771,  he  came  to  Balti- 
more on  a  visit,  and  insisted  on  going  to  sea,  which  he  al- 
ways had  an  inclination  for.  He  went  out  in  a  pilot  boat  with 
a  friend  of  his  father,  for  several  months.  He  was  then 
bound  an  apprentice  to  captain  Thomas  Drisdale,  and  sailed 
witli  him  in  a  brig  to  Ireland.  They  arrived  at  the  cove  of 
Cork,  after  a  rough  passage,  where  they  remained  two  days, 
and  then  proceeded  to  Liverpool.  The  vessel  being  sold, 
young  Barney  returned  home  by  the  way  of  Dublin.  Shortly 
after  his  return  his  father  died,  having  been  shot  by  the  acci- 
dental discharge  of  a  pistol  in  the  hands  of  a  brother,  a  child 
of  seven  years  of  age.  He  made  a  voyage  to  Cadiz  and 
Genoa,  and  in  1775,  sailed  for  Italy.  The  captain  being 
sick,  and  the  mate  having  been  discharged,  the  whole  duty 
fell  on  young  Barney,  although  not  16  years  of  age.  In  July, 
1775,  he  repaired  to  Alicant,  at  the  time  the  Spaniards  were 
preparing  an  expedition  against  Algiers.  His  ship  was  taken 
in  the  transport  service.  The  expedition  failed,  and  he  re- 
turned to  America.  On  his  arrival  in  the  Chesapeake  Bay, 
the  1st  of  October,  1776,  his  vessel  was  boarded  by  the  sloop 
of  war  King  Fisher,  and  informed  of  the  battle  of  Bunker's 
Hill.  The  ship  was  searched,  and  all  the  letters  and  arms 
were  taken  from  her.  On  arriving  in  Baltimore,  the  ship  was 
laid  up.  Thus  he  had  been  a  captain  eight  months,  and  had 
gone  through  some  very  difficult  scenes.  He  was  only  a  little 
over  16  years  of  age.  At  this  period,  finding  the.  whole  coun- 
try had  taken  up  arms  against  the  injustice  of  England,  his 
breast  soon  caueht  the  flame.     He  obtained  the  situation  of 


BARNEY.  59 

master's  mate  in  the  sloop  Hornet,  commanded  by  captain 
William  Stone,  and  on  receiving  a  flag  from  commodore  Hop- 
kins, he  placed  it  on  a  staff,  and  with  drums  and  fifes  beat  up 
for  volunteers,  and  in  one  day  engaged  a  crew  for  their  vessel. 
This  was  the  first  flag  of  the  United  States  seen  in  the  state 
of  Maryland,  and  Barney  claimed  some  credit  for  carrying  it. 
In  November,  1775,  they  sailed  in  company  with  the  schooner 
Wasp,  to  join  commodore  Hopkins  in  the  Delaware,  where 
they  arrived  in  a  few  days,  passing  the  enemy's  squadron, 
which  was  lying  in  Hampton  roads.  The  American  fleet 
consisted  of  two  frigates,  two  brigs,  and  four  sloops.  They 
sailed  to  New  Providence,  one  of  the  Bahama  Islands.  The 
town  and  fort  surrendered,  with  the  ships  and  vessels  in  the 
harbour,  without  resistance.  The  cannon,  powder,  mortars, 
shells,  &c.  were  secured,  and  the  island  given  up  again.  On 
their  return  they  had  bad  weather,  but  they  got  into  the  Dela- 
ware Avith  some  difficulty. 

In  1776,  Barney  embarked  in  the  schooner  Wasp,  under 
the  orders  of  captain  Charles  Alexander,  a  brave  Scotchman, 
and  they  convoyed  off  the  coast  the  vessel  in  which  Dr. 
Franklin  was  going  to  Europe.  The  Wasp  returned  into 
Cape  May  channel  with  great  hazard,  as  the  English  ships 
Roebuck  of  forty-four  guns,  and  Liverpool  of  twenty-eight 
guns,  lay  in  the  roads.  As  the  Wasp  returned  up  the  bay  she 
was  chased  by  the  Roebuck  and  Liverpool,  but  she  got  into 
Wilmington  creek.  The  next  morning  several  row  gallies 
went  down  from  Philadelphia,  under  commodore  Hazlewood, 
and  attacked  the  British  ships.  The  captain  of  the  Wasp 
took  advantage  of  the  cannonade  to  come  out,  and  he  attacked 
and  took  the  brig  Tender, from  the  British,  although  under  the 
guns  of  the  enemy.  The  Americans  took  her  into  a  port  of  New 
Jersey.  This  little  affair  was  thought  a  bold  one ;  but  they 
had  afterwards  harder  fighting,  for  getting  under  the  enemy's 
guns  in  a  fog,  they  with  difficulty  succeeded  in  joining  the 
galleys,  which  fought  all  day.  Barney  joined  one  of  the  ves- 
sels which  wanted  hands,  and  had  his  share  of  fighting.  He 
was  now  sent  on  board  the  sloop  Sachem,  then  fitting  out,  as 
commanding  officer,  and  he  was  complimented  for  his  con- 
duct on  the  Delaware,  by  Robert  Morris,  president  of  the 
Marine  Committee,  who  presented  him  with  a  lieutenant's 
commission.  He  was  not  seventeen  years  of  age.  In  this  capa- 
city he  sailed  in  the  Sachem  under  captain  Isaiah  Robinson, 
and  they  had  not  been  long  out,  when  they  captured  an  En- 
glish brig,  after  a  severe  action  of  two  hours.  A  large  turtle 
on  board,  intended  for  Lord  North,  was  presented  to  Mr. 
Morris,  after  young  Barney  brought  the  prize  into  port. 
The  Sachem  and  AndrewT  Doria,  of  fourteen  guns,  with  the 


40  BARNEY. 

Lexington,  captain  Barry,  departed  for  the  West  Indies 
On  their  return,  they  captured  a  sloop  of  twelve  guns,  after 
an  action  of  two  hours,  cutting  her  to  pieces.  It  was  the 
sloop  Race  Horse,  tender  to  admiral  Parker's  fleet  at  Ja- 
maica, sent  to  take  the  Sachem  and  Andrew  Doria.  The 
next  prize  was  a  Snow  from  Jamaica,  on  board  which  Barney 
was  sent  as  prize  master.  His  difficulties  began  here,  for 
being  several  days  in  a  heavy  gale  of  wind,  and  the  sea 
breaking  over  the  vessel  so  as  to  oblige  them  to  stay  in  the 
tops,  he  was  captured  by  the  Perseus  of  twenty  guns.  Being 
ill  treated  by  the  purser  of  the  Perseus.  Barney  knocked  bin 
down  the  hatchway,  which  met  tbe  approbation  of  the  captain 
of  the  British  vessel,  who  exchanged  his  prisoners  at  Charles- 
ton, South  Carolina.  On  their  way  to  Philadelphia  on  horse- 
back, Barney  and  his  companions  annoyed  the  tories  when- 
ever they  found  an  opportunity,  making  them  drink  success 
to  Congress,  &c. 

In  the  spring  of  1777,  Barney  again  joined  the  Andrew 
Doria,  and  took  part  in  the  defence  of  the  Delaware.  The 
American  force  consisted  of  the  Delaware  frigate  of  thirty-two 
guns,  and  several  small  vessels,  all  under  commodore  Hazle- 
wood.  They  were  stationed  at  Mud  Island  or  fort  Mifflin, 
which  was  commanded  by  lieutenant  colonel  Samuel  Smith, 
at  present  a  member  of  the  senate  of  the  United  States,  from 
Maryland.  All  the  summer  the  war  was  carried  on  with 
great  rigour  in  the  neighborhood;  but  in  the  fall  the  fort  was 
necessarily  given  up,  and  the  fleet  destroyed.  Barney  was 
ordered  to  Baltimore  to  join  the  Virginia  frigate,  captain 
Nicholson.  In  attempting  to  get  the  frigate  to  sea,  the  pilot 
ran  her  on  shore  in  the  night,  and  was  captured  by  the  British. 
In  August,  1778,  Barney  was  exchanged  for  the  lieutenant  of 
the  Mermaid  frigate,  but  on  going  to  Baltimore,  where  he 
took  command  of  a  schooner  with  two  guns  and  eight  men,  he 
was  again  taken  in  the  bay  by  a  privateer  of  four  large  guns 
and  sixty  men.  The  United  States,  at  this  time,  having  no 
vessels  out  of  the  middle  states,  Barney  accepted  the  offer  of 
his  old  friend  and  commander,  captain  Robinson,  in  Novem- 
ber, 1778,  to  go  out  with  him  from  Alexandria  in  a  ship,  with 
a  letter  of  marque.  She  had  twelve  guns,  but  little  powder, 
and  only  thirty-five  men.  When  three  days  out,  in  the  night, 
they  fell  in  with  the  privateer  Rosebud,  captain  Duncan,  full 
of  men,  with  which  they  had  a  running  fight  all  night,  killed 
and  wounded  forty-seven  of  their  men,  and  got  off  with  only 
one  man  wounded.  They  arrived  at  Bordeaux,  took  a  cargo 
of  brandy,  mounted  eighteen  guns,  and  shipped  seventy  men. 
On  their  return,  they  made  a  valuable  prize,  after  a  running 


BARNEY.  41 

fight  of  near  two  days.  Barney  took  command  of  the  prize, 
and  arrived  safe  in  Philadelphia,  in  October,  1779. 

In  1780,  he  married  a  most  estimable  woman,  the  daughter 
of  alderman  Bedford.  The  following  month  he  proceeded  to 
Baltimore,  having  all  his  fortune  with  him  in  paper  money,  in 
his  gig-box  ;  on  arriving  he  found  he  had  been  robbed  of  every 
Cent  he  had  in  the  world.  He  returned  to  Philadelphia  with- 
out mentioning  his  loss,  and  soon  after  went  into  service  on 
board  the  United  States  ship  Saratoga,  of  sixteen  guns,  com- 
manded by  captain  John  Young.  In  a  few  days  after  going 
to  sea,  they  captured  a  ship  of  twelve  guns.  Soon  after  they 
took  a  ship  mounting  thirty-two  guns,  ninety  men,  and  two 
brigs,  having  boarded  the  first  running  up  under  English  co- 
lours. Barney  was  afterwards  taken  by  the  intrepid,  74* 
captain  Malloy,  who  treated  his  prisoners  with  great  bar- 
barity. In  1780,  Barney  and  seventy  other  prisoners,  at  New 
York,  were  sent  on  board  the  Yarmouth.  74,  and  ordered  to 
England  by  admiral  Rodney.  They  were  confined  under 
five  decks,  in  a  place  three  feet  high,  twelve  feet  long,  and 
twenty  feet  wide,  without  light,  and  were  fifty-three  days  on 
the  passage.  Eleven  died  from  the  filth  and  the  fever  getting 
among  them,  and  when  they  landed  at  Plymouth,  the  survi- 
vors were  very  feeble  and  emaciated,  covered  with  vermin, 
and  so  weak  they  could  hardly  stand,  or  their  eyes  bear  the 
light.  After  remaining  some  time  in  a  prison  ship,  they  were 
sent  to  Mill  prison,  where  they  found  between  two  and  three 
hundred  other  rebels,  as  they  were  called.  They  gave  their 
jailors  a  good  deal  of  trouble,  by  digging,  undermining,  cut- 
ting bars,  &c.  and  some  escaped.  Barney  was  suspected, 
and  was  put  in  the  dungeon  thirty  days,  loaded  with  heavy 
irons.  By  the  assistance  of  a  soldier  who  had  been  in  Ame- 
rica, on  the  18th  May,  1781,  he  escaped  in  an  English  offi- 
cer's undress  uniform.  After  being  taken,  he  again  escaped, 
and  went  to  Bristol  and  London.  He  also  visited  Amsterdam, 
Rotterdam,  and  the  Hague.  He  arrived  in  Philadelphia  in 
March  following,  after  an  absence  of  nineteen  months.  When 
a  few  days  in  the  bosom  of  his  family,  the  state  of  Pennsyl- 
vania gave  him  the  command  of  the  Hyder  Ally,  a  small  ship 
of  sixteen  guns,  and  one  hundred  and  ten  men.  Thirteen 
days  after,  he  proceeded  with  a  convoy  down  the  bay,  and 
was  laying  in  Cape  May  road,  waiting  for  a  wind.  The  fol- 
lowing are  the  particulars  of  the  action  between  the  Hyder 
Ally,  captain  Barney,  and  the  general  Monk,  captain  Rogers, 
furnished  by  a  gentleman  well  acquainted  with  the  par* 
ticulars  : 

April  8th,  1782,  at  10,  A.  M.  laying  at  anchor  under  Cape 
May,  (Delaware)  discovered  three  sail  standing  in  from  sea. 

6 


43  BARNEY. 

with  a  light  wind  from  the  eastward;  at  11  perceived  thai 
they  were  a  frigate,  a  ship,  a  sloop  of  war,  and  an  armed 
brig.  At  meridian,  the  frigate  stood  for  Cape  Henlopen 
channel,  the  ship  and  brig  standing  in  for  Cape  May:  made 
a  signal  for  our  convoy  to  get  under  weigh,  and  stand  up  the 
hay  ;  we  then  got  under  weigh,  and  followed  the  convoy.  At 
1,  P.  M.  the  ship  and  brig  came  into  the  hay,  hy  Cape  May 
channel,  the  frigate  coming  round  Under  Cape  Henlopen; 
prepared  for  action,  all  hands  to  quarters.  At  three  quarter* 
past  one.  the  brig  passed  us.  after  giving  us  two  fires;  we 
reserved  our  fire  for  the  ship,  then  fast  coming  up :  we  re- 
ceived very  little  damage  from  the  brig,  who  stood  after  our 
convoy;  she  mounted  sixteen  guns,  and  was  formerly  the 
American  privateer  "Fair  American,"  commanded  hy  cap- 
tain Decatur,  and  equal  to  us  in  force.  At  2,  P.  M.  the  ship 
ranged  up  on  our  starboard  quarter,  and  fired  two  guns  at  us  ; 
we  were  then  at  good  pistol  shot;  we  then  attempted  to  run 
her  on  board,  by  laying  her  across  the  starboard  how,  but  our 
yard  arms  locked,  which  kept  us  too  far  off  to  hoard  ;  at  the 
same  time  poured  in  our  broadside  from  great  guns  and  smalt 
arms.  Our  tire  was  briskly  kept  up  for  twenty-six  minutes, 
when  she  struck  her  colours.  Immediately  sent  our  first  lieu- 
tenant on  board,  and  stood  up  the  bay,  the  frigate  at  this  time 
under  a  press  of  sail  in  chase  after  us,  and  the  brig  ahead  in 
chase  of  our  convoy ;  again  prepared  for  action,  and  stood  af- 
ter the  brig,  but  on  her  perceiving  that  the  ship  had  struck, 
she  stood  for  the  frigate,  and  got  aground  ;  we  were  obliged 
to  pass  her,  as  the  frigate  gained  upon  us.  At  4,  P.  M.  the 
frigate  came  to  anchor  in  the  bayy  (supposed  for  want  of  a 
pilot.)  We  then  spoke  the  prize  for  the  first  time,  and  learned 
she  was  His  Majesty's  ship  the  General  Monk,  captain  Rod- 
gers,  of  nineteen  nine  pounders,  but  fighting  twenty  guns,  and 
had  on  hoard,  when  the  action  began,  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
six  men,  of  whom  thirty  were  killed,  and  fifty-three  wounded. 
Of  sixteen  officers  on  board,  fifteen  were  killed  or  wounded. 
The  captain  received  three  wounds.  We  had  on  board  the 
Hydcr  Ally  four  killed,  and  eleven  wounded.  The  Hyder 
Ally  mounted  twelve  six  pounders,  and  four  nine  pounders, 
Avith  a  complement  of  one  hundred  and  fifteen  men.  During 
the  action  we  fired  thirteen  broadsides  from  our  cannon,  and 
from  sixty  to  seventy  rounds  horn  our  muskets.  Proportion 
of  metal :  The  General  Monk,  ten  nine  pounders, fired  ninety 
weight  of  shot  at  one  broadside.  The  Hyder  Ally,  six 
sixes,  and  two  nines,  fired  fifty-four  weight  of  shot  at  one 
broadside.  Proportion — fifty  to  ninety.  On  arriving  at  Phi- 
ladelphia with  the  prize,  the  wounded  had  every  care  taken  of 
them.  The  Legislature  of  Pennsylvania  voted  him  a  sword  for 
this  gallant  exploit,  which  was  presented  him  by  the  governor. 


BARNEY.  4S 

A  gentleman  who  was  on  board  the  vessels  after  their  ar- 
rival at  Philadelphia,  gives  the  following  particulars: 

'I  was  then  in  Philadelphia,  quite  a  lad,  when  the  action  took 
place.  Both  ships  arrived  at  the  lower  part  of  the  city  with 
a  leading  wind  immediately  after  the  action,  bringing  with 
them  all  their  killed  and  wounded.  Attracted  to  the  wharf 
by  the  salute  which  the  Hyder  Ally  fired,  of  thirteen  guns, 
which  was  then  the  custom,  (one  for  each  state)  I  saw  the  two 
ships  lying  in  the  stream,  anchored  near  each  other.  In  a 
short  time,  however,  they  warped  into  the  wharf,  to  land  their 
killed  and  wounded.,  and  curiosity  induced  me,  as  well  as 
many  others,  to  go  on  board  e ach  vessel.  The  Hyder  Ally  was, 
as  stated,  a  small  ship  of  sixteen  six  pounders.  The  Monk,  a 
king's  ship  of  large  dimensions,  of  eighteen  nine  pounders.  The 
difference  in  the  size  and  equipments  of  the  two  ships  was 
matter  of  astonishment  to  all  the  beholders.  The  General 
Monk's  decks  were,  in  every  direction,  besmeared  with 
blood,  covered  with  the  dead  and  wounded,  and  resembled  a 
charnel  house.  Several  of  her  bow  ports  were  knocked  into 
one:  a  plain  evidence  of  the  well  directed  fire  of  the  Hyder 
Ally.  She  was  a  king's  ship,  a  very  superior  vessel,  a  fast 
sailer,  and  coppered  to  the  bends.  I  was  on  board  during  the 
time  they  carried  on  shore  the  killed  and  wounded,  which 
they  did  in  hammocks. 

'I  was  present  at  a  conversation  which  took  place  on  the 
quarter  deck  of  the  General  Monk,  between  captain  Barney, 
and  several  merchants  in  Philadelphia.  I  remember  one  of 
them  observing,  "  Why,  captain  Barney,  you  have  been  truly 
fortunate  in  capturing  this  vessel,  considering  she  is  so  far  su- 
perior to  you  in  point  of  size,  guns,  men,  and  metal."  Yes, 
sir,  he  replied,  I  do  consider  myself  fortunate — when  we  were 
about  to  engage,  it  was  the  opinion  of  myself,  as  well  as  my 
crew,  that  she  would  have  blown  us  to  atoms ;  but  we  were  de- 
termined she  should  gain  her  victory  dearly.  One  of  the 
wounded  British  sailors  observed — "Yes,  sir,  captain  Rodgers 
observed  to  our  crew,  a  little  before  the  action  commenced, 
•Now,  my  boys,  we  shall  have  the  Yankee  ship  in  five 
minutes;'  and  so  we  all  thought,  but  here  we  are." 

The  General  Monk  was  sold  and  bought  by  Mr.  Morris  for 
the  United  States,  and  the  command  given  to  Barney,  who 
sailed  with  sealed  orders  in  November,  1782,  with  despatches 
to  Dr.  Franklin,  i  11  Paris.  He  was  well  received  at  the 
French  court.  He  returned  to  Philadelphia  with  a  valuable 
loan  from  the  French  king,  a  large  sum  of  money  in  chests  of 
gold,  and  barrels  of  silver,  and  carried  with  him  a  passport 
signed  by  the  king  of  England,  and  the  information  that  the 
preliminaries  of  peace  were  signed. 


44  BARNEY. 

Thus  closed  his  public  career,  being  among  the  first  to  en- 
ter, and  the  last  to  quit  the  service. 

The  character  of  our  work  will  not  permit  us  to  give  all  the  in^ 
teresting  particulars  of  Barney's  life.  Suffice  to  say,  great  in- 
deed, was  the  variety  of  service  in  which  he  was  engaged  in 
the  revolutionary  war,  and  as  fluctuating  his  successes  and  his 
misfortunes.  A  captive  to-day,  to-morrow  he  triumphed  inthe 
arms  of  victory ;  but.  in  all  situations,  and  under  every  change, 
however  eventful,  supported  a  character  of  unblemished  honour, 
and  nf  an  intrepidity  that  could  not  be  exceeded. 

After  the  termination  of  the  revolutionary  war,  he  com- 
menced business,  and  purchased  a  tract  of  land  in  Kentucky, 
which  he  meant  to  be  a  last  resort  for  his  family.  In  1786, 
87,  and  88,  he  visited  South  Carolina,  Georgia,  and  the  wes- 
tern country.  On  his  return  he  took  an  active  part  in  the 
adoption  of  the  constitution.  In  1789,  finding  his  health  im- 
paired by  his  services,  he  embarked  for  South  America,  and 
arrived  at  Carthagena  in  a  small  brig  belonging  to  himself 
and  partner.  Thence  he  went  to  Ha\  anna,  and  then  home. 
In  1792,  he  sailed  again,  and  arrived  at  Cape  Francois. 
While  there  the  town  was  burnt,  and  he  was  obliged  to  fight 
his  way.  He  brought  off  fifty  or  sixty  miserable  women  and 
children.  His  vessel  was  captured  by  an  English  privateer 
brig,  two  others  in  company.  Three  officers  and  eleven  men 
were  put  on  board,  and  all  the  Americans  taken  out,  except 
Barney,  the  carpenter,  boatswain  and  cook.  They  were  or- 
dered for  New  Providence.  The  keys  of  the  iron  chest  were 
demanded,  but  Barney  would  not  deliver  them,  which  occa- 
sioned much  abuse  and  ill  treatment.  He  had  concealed  a 
small  blunderbuss,  and  his  men  some  other  arms,  with  which 
they  took  an  opportunity  of  retaking  the  ship.  Two  of  the 
English  officers  were  wounded.  The  men  were  afterwards 
made  to  work  the  ship,  until  they  arrived  at  Baltimore.  Bar- 
ney was  compelled,  for  his  own  safety,  to  sleep  on  the  quar- 
ter deck  in  his  arm-chair.  He  again  sailed  for  Cape  Fran- 
cois in  1793  ;  on  his  return,  he  was  again  captured  by  an  En- 
glish brig,  and  taken  to  Jamaica.  When  he  arrived  at  Kings- 
ton he  was  committed  to  prison,  and  bills  were  found  against 
him  for  piracy.  His  ship  and  cargo  were  condemned.  He 
then  returned  home,  and  in  1794,  was  offered  the  command  of 
a  frigate,  but  declined  the  offer.  After  this  lie  accompanied 
Mr.  Monroe,  now  President  of  the  United  States,  to  France, 
and  was  the  bearer  of  the  American  flag  to  the  National  Con- 
vention. He  received  the  embrace  of  the  President  of  the 
Convention,  and  a  vote  was  passed  that  he  should  be  employ- 
ed in  the  navy  of  the  Republic.  He  declined  at  that  time, 
hut  in  1795,  accepted  a  commission  as  captain.     In  I796r  he 


BARNEY.  45 

arrived  at  Norfolk  with  two  frigates.  An  English  squadron 
blockaded  him  for  a  considerable  time.  He  offered  to  go  out 
and  light  an  equal  force,  but  the  English  declined.  By  de- 
ceiving the  British,  he  made  his  escape,  and  returned  to 
France.  In  1800,  he  left  the  French  service,  and  returned  to 
America.  In  1805.be  was  offered  the  superintendance  of  the 
Navy  Yard  at  Washington,  but  declined.  In  1806,  he  offer- 
ed for  Congress,  but  was  defeated.  In  1808.  he  offered  for 
Congress,  and  was  again  defeated,  through  the  machinations 
of  his  enemies. 

In  1812,  he  had  removed  into  the  country,  on  Elkridge,  and 
in  June,  when  war  was  declared  against  Great  Britain,  he 
offered  his  services  to  the  general  government,  and  at  the 
same  time  engaged  in  a  fine  schooner  to  make  a  cruise  priva- 
vateeri ng.  He  was  \cvy  successful,  having  captured  eighteen 
sail,  most  of  which  were  burnt  or  sunk;  several  of  them  were 
of  greater  force  than  the  privateer,  and  fought  hard.  In  July, 
1813,  when  at  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  attending  the  sale  of 
some  prizes,  he  received  an  offer  of  the  command  of  the  flotil- 
la for  the  defence  of  the  Chesapeake.  On  his  proceeding  to 
Washington,  he  found  his  old  enemies  had  written  letters  to 
the  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  insulting  to  his  feelings,  which  he 
resented  by  calling  out  the  writer,  a  merchant  of  Baltimore, 
who,  in  the  affair,  had  a  bullet  through  his  breast;  which,  how- 
ever, he  survived.  In  the  spring  of  1814,  the  flotilla  consist- 
ed of  twenty  six  barges  and  nine  hundred  men,  with  which  the 
commodore  proceeded  down  the  bay,  intending  to  attack  the 
enemy's  black  establishment,  at  Tangier  Island;  hut  falling 
in  with  their  squadron  o AT  the  Patuxent,  he-was  obliged  to  run 
in  there.  During  the  summer,  they  kept  up  an  active  war- 
fare with  the  enemy,  attacking  them  whenever  he  had  an  op- 
portunity, in  some  instances  lying  under  the  fire  of  the  fri- 
gates for  several  hours.  He  destroyed  several  of  their  small 
craft,  and  men,  besides  injuring  their  large  vessels,  when  his 
shot  would  reach  them.  On  the  first  of  July,  the  commodore 
was  ordered  to  Washington,  to  consult  about  the  expected  in- 
vasion, and  the  means  of  defending  the  capital.  He  returned 
to  the  flotilla  on  the  third,  and  removed  higher  up  the  river. 
On  the  sixteenth  of  August,  the  enemy  entered  the  Patuxent, 
and  an  express  was  forwarded  to  the  Secretary  of  the  Navy. 
The  commodore  landed  most  of  his  men,  and  marched  them 
towards  Washington  on  the  twenty  first,  and  joined  General 
Winder  at  the  Woodyard,  where  he  found  captain  Miller,  and 
his  marines,  with  five  pieces  of  artillery,  which  were  placed 
under  his  command.  On  the  2Srd  the  troops  were  reviewed  by 
the  President.  The  enemy,  the  next  day,  were  within  three 
miles  of  the  camp,  and  some  skirmishing  took  place.      The 


46  BARNEY. 

commodore  proceeded  with  his  force  to  the  city,  crossed  the 
Eastern  branch,  and  put  up  that  night  in  the  marine  barracks, 
with  orders  to  protect  the  bridge. 

At  about  11.  A.  M.  of  the  24th,  hearing  the  enemy  had 
proceeded  on  to  Bladensburg,  and  meeting  the  President,  &c. 
he  begged  to  be  allowed  to  quit  the  bridge,  and  join  the  army, 
Which  was  allowed,  and  he  immediately  set  out  for  Bladens- 
burg, with  his  guns  and  his  men.  Within  a  mile  of  that 
town,  he  found  the  army  drawn  up  in  detached  parties,  and 
the  engagement  had  began.  His  men  came  up  at  a  trot,  the 
weather  excessively  hot.  They  had  hardly  time  to  take 
the  limbers  from  the  guns  and  form,  when  he  perceived  our 
army  in  full  retreat,  and  the  enemy  advancing.  He  was  in 
hopes  the  first  line  would  again  form  near  him,  but  was  dis- 
appointed. At  length  the  enemy  appeared,  and  he  gave  or- 
ders to  wait  until  they  were  near  enough.  He  pointed  the  guns 
and  remounted.  The  enemy  tried  their  rockets,  and  then  ad- 
vanced. They  received  a  fire  of  round  and  grape  shot,  which 
cleared  the  road  ;  grape  and  canister  cleared  it  a  second  time; 
they  then  left  the  road  and  took  to  the  field  in  front  and  on 
the  right.  They  were  met  there  by  the  marines  and  sailors  with 
muskets,  and  the  cannon  with  grape  and  canister.  Colonel 
Thornton,  colonel  Woods,  and  several  officers  of  the  enemy, 
fell  in  the  charge.  The  American  army  by  this  time,  had  to 
a  man  disappeared :  the  commodore,  however,  kept  up  his 
fire.  The  English  sharp-shooters  had  straggled  about,  and 
were  doing  much  mischief;  Barney's  horse  fell  between 
two  of  his  guns,  pierced  by  two  balls  ;  several  of  his  officers 
were  killed  and  wounded;  the  ammunition  wagon  had  gone 
off  in  the  general  confusion  and  retreat  of  the  army  ;  the 
enemy  began  to  flank  out  to  the  right,  under  cover  of  a  thick 
wood,  and  iiad  nearly  surrounded  the  commodore.  His  men 
were  nearly  exhausted,  having  undergone  a  three  day's  march 
without  a  regular  supply  of  provisions.  He  had  received  a 
wound  in  the  thigh  some  time  before,  and  was  faint  for  loss 
of  blood,  when  he  ordered  a  retreat,  which  was  effected  in 
good  order,  by  the  men  and  such  officers  as  could  follow.  He 
retired   a  few  yards,  with  the  help  of  three  of  his  officers, 

whom  he  ordered  away,  except  captain  II ,  and  fell 

from  weakness ;  in  which  situation  he  was  found  by  the  enemy. 
General  Ross  and  admiral  Cockburn  came  to  him,  and,  in 
in  the  most  polite  manner  tendered  him  every  assistance. 
He  was  carried  in  a  litter  to  Bladensburg.  Captain  Miller 
was  also  carried  to  the  same  house,  badly  wounded.  Thus 
the  battle  ended !  On  the  26th  of  August,  he  found  the  ene- 
my had  retreated,  leaving  eighty  wounded  officers  and  men. 
The  next  day,  Mrs.  Barney,  his  surgeon,  and  one  of  his  son* 


BARNEY.  47 

cattle  to  Bladensburg,  and,  after  a  night's  rest,  earried  liim 
home  in  a  carriage  and  hed  hrought  for  that  purpose.  The 
ball  had  been  probed  for  by  the  English  surgeons,  but  without 
effect ;  his  surgeon  was  equally  unsuccessful,  and  it  was  never 
got  out.  On  the  7th  October,  he  was  sufficiently  recovered, 
to  proceed  to  Washington,  and  was  sent  with  a  flag  of  truce 
to  the  enemy's  fleet  in  the  Chesapeake,  to  exchange  prisoners. 
He  calculated  the  enemy  lost  in  killed,  wounded  and  pri- 
soners, in  their  attack  on  Washington,  eleven  hundred  men. 
Our  loss  did  not  exceed  sixty,  fifty  of  which  were  marines  and 
flotilla  men.  On  the  10th  October,  he  resumed  his  command. 
The  corporation  of  Washington  voted  him  a  sword.  He  was 
preparing  the  barges  for  a  spring  campaign,  when  the  news 
of  peace  arrived.  The  Legislature  of  Georgia  gave  the  com- 
modore a  vote  of  thanks  for  his  conduct  at  Washington.  On 
the  10th  May,  he  was  again  sent  for  by  the  Secretary  of  the 
Navy,  and  requested  to  undertake  a  mission  to  Europe ;  and 
he  sailed  the  25th  from  Baltimore,  arrived  at  Plymouth,  thence 
went  to  London,  and  sailed  the  9th  August  from  Gravesend ; 
arrived  at  Baltimore  13th  October,  but  found  his  wound  crip- 
pled him  so  completely,  he  was  obliged  to  send  his  despatches 
by  his  son.  He  remained  at  his  farm  until  his  strength  was 
renovated;  he  then  removed  his  family  to  Baltimore,  where  he 
remained  some  months.  Finding  it  necessary  to  form  an  es- 
tablishment more  independent  than  the  one  he  now  possessed, 
he  looked  towards  Kentucky  as  the  place  of  final  settlement, 
and  paid  it  a  visit,  carrying  out  his  wife  with  him.  On  the 
road  he  received  the  most  gratifying  attentions  from  all 
classes,  and  his  reception  in  that  hospitable  state,  was  such, 
that  he  only  returned  to  Maryland  to  settle  his  business,  and 
pack  up  his  furniture,  which,  with  his  wagons,  horses,  ser- 
vants, and  every  thing  necessary  for  farming  and  housekeep- 
ing, he  sent  ahead,  and  followed  with  his  family.  At  Browns- 
town  he  embarked  his  baggage  in  boats,  but  unfortunately 
the  season  had  been  remarkably  dry,  and  he  was  detained  a 
long  time  on  the  river.  At  Pittsburg  he  had  got  every  thing 
on  board,  and  was  ready  to  sail  the  next  morning,  the  water 
having  risen,  when  in  his  boat  he  was  taken  ill,  the  combined 
effect  of  fatigue,  exposure,  and  the  irritation  kept  up  by  the 
ball  in  his  thigh,  calculated  very  much  to  hasten  his  death. 

He  died  on  the  1st  day  of  December,  1818.  in  the  60th 
year  of  his  age.  It  is  unnecessary  to  say  his  funeral  was  at- 
tended by  a  great  concourse  of  people,  and  received  all  the 
honours  the  city  of  Pittsburg  could  afford.  His  family  after 
some  detention,  proceeded  on  to  Kentucky.  His  widow  con- 
tinues to  enjoy  his  pension,  and  in  time  may  have  possession 
f»f  the  ample  tract  of  land  purchased  in  early  life. 


48  BARRY. 

BARRY,  Johst,  was  born  in  the  county  of  Wexford,  Ire^ 
land,  in  the  year  1745.  After  having  received  the  first  ele- 
ments of  an  English  education,  to  gratify  his  particular  incli- 
nation for  the  sea,  his  father  entered  him  in  the  merchant  ser- 
vice. When  about  fifteen  years  of  age,  he  arrived  in  Pennsylva- 
nia, and  selected  it  as  the  country  of  his  future  residence.  He 
commanded  the  ship,  Black  Prince,  a  valuable  vessel  belong' 
ing  to  Mr.  INixon,  of  Philadelphia,  when  the  revolutionary 
war  commenced.  This  ship  was  immediately  purchased  by 
Congress,  and  converted  into  a  vessel  of  war.  Barry  very 
promptly  took  a  decided  stand  in  favour  of  his  adopted  coun- 
try, and  was  the  first  commodore  in  the  American  navy. 

Confiding  in  his  patriotism.  Congress,  in  February,  1776, 
a  few  months  prior  to  the  declaration  of  independence,  ap- 
pointed him  commander  of  the  brig  Lexington,  of  sixteen 
guns,  and  his  was  the  first  Continental  vessel,  which  sailed 
from  the  port  of  Philadelphia.  His  cruises  were  successful. 
The  city  of  Philadelphia  and  forts  on  the  Delaware  fell  into 
the  hands  of  the  British,  in  the  year  1777;  and  commodore 
Barry,  with  several  vessels  of  war,  made  good  his  retreat  up 
the  river,  as  far  as  Whitehill,  where,  however,  they  were  af- 
terwards destroyed  by  the  enemy. 

Prior  to  the  destruction  of  these  vessels,  he  successfully  em- 
ployed those  under  his  command,  in  annoying  the  enemy,  and 
cutting  off  the  supplies. 

"Whilst  he  commanded  the  Lexington,  the  British  chased  a 
vessel  on  shore  near  Cape  May,  in  sight  of  the  Lexington, 
Surprise,  captain  Weeks,  and  the  Wasp,  captain  Barney. 
The  boats  and  men  of  those  vessels  were  immediately  sent  to 
her  assistance,  and  they  began  to  land  her  cargo,  consisting 
of  small  arms,  powder,  &c.  The  British  kept  up  a  brisk  fire, 
and  killed  captain  Weeks.  Finding  the  enemy's  ships  getting 
near,  and  preparing  to  send  their  boats,  captain  Barry  order- 
ed a  quantity  of  powder  turned  loose  in  the  hold  of  the  ves- 
sel, and  on  leaving  her,  left  a  large  coal  of  fire  wrapped  up 
in  the  mainsail  over  the  hatchway.  When  the  Americans 
retired,  the  British  had  scarcely  boarded  the  vessel,  when  she 
blew  up,  with  a  tremendous  explosion  !  A  great  number  of 
dead  bodies,  gold  laced  hats,  &c.  afterwards  floated  on  shore. 

After  the  destruction  of  the  American  squadron,  and  soon 
after  the  capture  of  Philadelphia,  he  was  appointed  to  com- 
mand the  Raleigh,  of  thirty  two  guns,  which,  on  a  cruise, 
was  run  on  shore  by  a  British  squadron,  on  Fox  Island,  in 
Penobscot  bay. 

Subsequent  to  the  above  disasters,  he  commanded  a  vessel 
commissioned  with  letters  of  marque  and  reprisal,  and  engag- 
ed in  the  West  India  trade  for  some  time. 


BARRY.  49 

When  Congress  concluded  to  build  a  74  gun  ship  in  New 
'Hampshire,  he  was  ordered  to  command  her.  It  was.  how- 
ever, afterwards,  determined  to  make  a  present  of  this  vessel 
to  His  most  Christian  Majesty,  when  that  august  body  gave 
him  the  command  of  the  Alliance  frigate. 

The  situation  of  American  affairs  becoming  important,  in 
a  foreign  point  of  view,  colonel  John  Laurens,  of  South  Ca* 
rolina,  son  of  Henry  Laurens,  then  a  prisoner  in  the  tower  of 
London,  was  ordered  to  France  on  a  special  mission.  Com- 
modore Barry  sailed  in  the  Alliance  from  Boston  for  L'Ori- 
ent,  in  February,  1781,  having  the  minister  extraordinary 
and  suite  on  board.  After  landing  the  ambassador  and  suite 
at  L'Orient,  in  the  early  part  of  the  same  year,  the  Alliance 
.sailed  on  a  cruise. 

On  the  29th  of  May,  following,  at  day-light,  Commodore 
Barry  discovered  a  ship  and  a  brig  on  his  weather  bow,  ap- 
pearing afterwards  to  wear  the  British  Hag.  He  consequent- 
ly prepared  for  immediate  action.  The  British  ship  proved 
tO  be  the  Atalanta,  captain  Edwards,  of  between  twenty  and 
Unity  guns,  and  the  brig  Treposa,  captain  Smith.  An  action 
shortly  commenced,  and  by  three  P.  M.  both  vessels  struck. 
Barry  was  wounded  early  in  the  engagement;  but  notwith- 
standing his  sufferings,  in  consequence  of  this  casualty,  he 
still  remained  on  deck,  and  it  was  owing  to  his  intrepidity 
and  presence  of  mind,  that  the  Alliance  was  the  victor. 

On  December  25,  1781,  he  sailed  in  the  Alliance  for  France, 
from  Boston,  having  on  board  the  Marquis  de  la  Fayette  and 
Count  de  Noailles,  who  were  desirous  of  going  to  their  native 
country  on  business  of  the  highest  importance.  He  had  scarce- 
ly arrived  at  his  destined  port  (L'Orient,)  than  he  sailed  in 
February,  1782,  on  a  cruise,  during  which  he  fell  in  with  an 
enemy's  ship  of  equal  size,  and  had  a  severe  engagement. 
The  enemy  would  have  been  captured,  had  it  not  been  for  two 
consorts,  which,  however,  were  kept  at  a  distance  during  the 
action  by  a  French  fifty  gun  ship,  which  hove  in  sight.  The 
continental  ship  Luzerne,  of  twenty  guns,  had  her  guns  thrown 
overboard  before  the  battle  began,  in  order  to  facilitate  her 
escape,  as  she  had  a  quantity  of  specie  on  board  from  Havan- 
na,  for  the  use  of  the  United  States.  The  captain  of  the  Bri- 
tish frigate,  who  was  soon  after  advanced  to  be  vice-admiral 
of  the  red,  acknowledged,  that  he  had  never  received  a  more 
severe  flagellation  than  on  this  occasion,  although  it  seemed 
to  have  had  the  appearance  of  a  drawn  battle. 

It  is  said  that  the  British  frigate  had  thirty-seven  killed 
and  fifty  wounded,  in  this  action,  and  that  captain  Barry's 
loss  amounted  to  three  killed  and  eleven  wounded. 

During  the  time  that  general  Lord  Howe  was  the  British 


5©  BARTLETT. 

commander  in  chief,  lie  attempted  to  alienate  the  commodore 
from  the  cause  which  he  had  so  ardently  espoused,  by  an  offer 
of  twenty  thousand  guineas,  and  the  command  of  the  best 
frigate  in  the  British  navy;  but  he  rejected  the  offer  with 
scorn.  The  return  of  peace,  however,  in  the  year  1783,  put 
an  end  to  all  such  dishonorable  propositions,  and  our  com- 
modore returned  to  private  life. 

When  our  disturbances  took  place  with  the  French  Repub- 
lic, he  commanded  the  frigate  United  States,  now  in  service, 
and  was  very  successful  on  the  West  India  station. 

Bold,  brave,  and  enterprising,  he  was,  at  the  same  time,  hu- 
mane and  generous.  He  was  a  good  citizen,  and  greatly  es- 
teemed by  all  who  had  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance.  His 
person  was  above  the  ordinary  size,  graceful  and  command- 
ing; his  deportment  dignified,  and  his  countenance  expressive. 
He  had  the  art  of  commanding  without  supercilious  haugh- 
tiness, or  wanton  severity.  Another  trait  in  his  character 
was  a  punctilious  observance  of  the  duties  of  religion. 

He  died  in  Philadelphia,  on  the  30th  of  September,  1803, 
and  a  vast  concourse  of  his  fellow-citizens  testified  their  res- 
pect to  his  memory,  by  attending  his  remains  to  the  silent 
grave. 

BARTLETT,  Josiaii,  Governor  of  New  Hampshire,  was 
born  at  Amcsbury,  in  the  county  of  Essex.  Massachusetts, 
21st  November,  1729.  His  ancestors  came  from  the  south  of 
England,  and  fixed  at  Newbury.  The  rudiments  of  his  edu- 
cation he  received  at  Amcsbury,  at  the  town  school ;  and  hav- 
ing a  thirst  for  knowledge,  he  applied  himself  to  books  in  va- 
rious languages,  in  which  he  was  assisted  by  a  neighbouring 
clergyman,  the  reverend  Mr.  Webster,  of  Salisbury,  an  ex- 
cellent scholar  as  well  as  judicious  divine.  Mr.  Bartlett  had 
the  benefit  of  his  library  and  conversation,  while  he  studied 
physic  with  a  gentleman,  who  was  a  practitioner  in  his  native 
town.  At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  began  the  practice  of 
physic  in  Kingston,  and  soon  became  very  eminent  in  the  line 
of  his  profession.  In  1764.  a  field  was  opened  for  the  useful 
display  of  his  skill.  The  cynanche  maligna  became  very  pre- 
valent in  many  towns  of  New  Hampshire,  and  was  a  fatal 
disease  among  children.  The  method  of  treating  it  was  as  a 
highly  pbilogistic  complaint ;  but  he  was  led  from  his  own 
reason  and  observations,  to  manage  it  differently.  He  made 
use  of  the  Peruvian  bark,  as  an  antidote  and  preventative,  and 
his  practice  was  successful.  This  afterwards  become  general 
among  physicians. 

In  1765,  Dr.  Bartlett  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  legisla- 
ture, and  from  this  time  was  annually  elected  till  the  revolu- 
tion.    In  1770,  he  was  appointed  lieutenant  colonel  of  the  7th 


BARTLETT.  51 

regiment  of  militia.  This  commission  he  was  deprived  of 
in  1774,  on  account  of  the  active  part  he  took  in  the  contro- 
versy with  great  Britain.  This  was  a  time  when  "  the  clash- 
ing of  parties  excited  strong  passions,  which  frequently  gain- 
ed the  mastery  of  reason."  The  governor  and  council  of  New 
Hampshire,  saw  fit  to  dissolve  the  house  of  Assembly,  sup- 
posing that  a  new  one  might  become  more  flexible,  or  be  more 
subservient  to  their  wishes.  In  the  meanwhile,  colonel  Bart- 
lett, with  several  others,  planned  a  kind  of  authority,  which 
was  called  a  committee  of  safety.  They  met  at  Exeter,  and 
in  the  course  of  events,  were  obliged  to  take  upon  themselves 
the  whole  executive  government  of  the  state.  When  a  pro- 
vincial congress  had  again  organized  the  government,  colonel 
Bartlett  received  a  new  appointment  as  justice  of  the  peace, 
and  colonel  of  the  7th  regiment. 

He  was  one  of  the  first  members  who  were  chosen  to  repre- 
sent the  state  in  Congress.  Colonel  Bartlett  was  prevented 
from  accepting  this  honourable  trust  by  the  unhappy  condition 
of  his  domestic  affairs  :  his  house  having  been  burnt,  his  fa- 
mily were  obliged  to  seek  a  shelter  without  any  thing  but  the 
clothes  they  hud  upon  them.  He  was  elected  member  of  the 
second  congress  which  assembled  at  Philadelphia  the  next 
year,  and  also  attended  his  duty  in  the  same  station,  1776. 
He  was  the  first  that  signed  the  declaration  of  independence 
after  the  president. 

In  1777,  colonel  Bartlett  and  general  Peabody,  were  ap- 
pointed agents  to  provide  medical  aid  and  other  necessaries 
for  the  New  Hampshire  troops,  who  went  with  general  Stark, 
and  for  this  purpose  repaired  to  Bennington,  a  spot  distin- 
guished by  a  battle  very  important  in  its  consequences.  In 
April,  1778,  he  again  went  as  a  delegate  to  Congress.  He 
i*eturned  in  November,  and  would  no  longer  appear  as  a  can- 
didate for  that  office. 

When  the  state  of  New  Hampshire  was  organized,  under  a 
popular  government,  colonel  Bartlett  was  appointed  judge  of 
the  common  pleas ;  in  June,  1782,  a  judge  of  the  supreme 
court;  and  in  1788,  chief  justice. 

In  June,  1790,  he  was  elected  president  of  the  state,  which 
office  he  held  till  the  constitution  abrogated  the  office  of  presi- 
dent, and  substituted  the  title  of  the  chief  magistrate,  go- 
vernor. He  was  then  chosen  the  first  governor  of  New 
Hampshire  since  the  revolution.  He  resigned  the  chair  in  1794, 
on  account  of  his  infirm  state  of  health,  and  then  retired  from 
public  business. 

He  had  been  the  chief  agent  in  forming  the  medical  society 
of  New  Hampshire,  which  was  incorporated  in  1791,  of  which 
he  was  president,  till  his  public  labours  ceased,  and  when  he 


52  BEATTY. 

resigned,  he  received  a  warm  acknowledgement  of  his  ser- 
vices and  patronage,  in  a  letter  of  thanks,  which  is  now  upon 
the  records  of  the  society.  He  was  always  a  patron  of  learn- 
ing, and  a  friend  to  learned  men.  Without  the  advantages  of 
a  college  education,  he  was  an  example  to  stimulate  those  who 
have  hcen  blessed  with  every  advantage  in  early  life  ;  hut 
cannot  exhibit  such  improvement  of  their  talents,  or  such  ex- 
ertions in  the  cause  of  literature.  It  was  his  opinion,  that  re- 
publics cannot  exist  without  knowledge  and  virtue  in  the 
people. 

He  received  an  honorary  degree  of  doctor  of  medicine  from 
Dartmouth  University. 

Governor  Bartlett  did  not  live  long  after  he  resigned  his 
public  employments.  His  health  had  been  declining  a  num- 
ber of  years.     He  died  suddenly,  May.  1795. 

BEATTY,  William,  was  born  in  Fredrick  county,  in  the 
state  of  Maryland,  on  the  19th  of  June,  1758.  He  was  the 
eldest  of  twelve  sons.  In  stature  he  was  erect  and  stately,  and 
in  person  vigorous  and  athletic  :  capable  of  enduring  the 
greatest  fatigue,  and  of  suffering  the  utmost  privation.  His 
attachments  were  warm  and  permanent;  his  feelings  glowing 
and  enthusiastic,  and  his  patriotism  ardent  and  almost  roman- 
tic. To  a  mind  thus  constituted,  the  "tented  field"  would 
necessarily  present  charms  not  easily  resisted,  and  when  in 
connection  with  this,  an  opportunity  was  offered  for  the  indul- 
gence of  his  ruling  passion,  it  may  readily  be  conceived  that 
he  would  not  be  among  the  last  to  rush  to  the  standard  of  his 
country,  and  offer  his  services  in  the  defence  of  its  liberties 
and  its  rights. 

It  is  to^  be  regretted,  that  the  materials  for  the  biography 
of  men,  even  of  the  most  distinguished  reputation,  are  often 
found  so  scanty  and  limited.  When  an  individual  has  risen 
by  intellectual  or  moral  excellence,  above  the  ordinary  level 
of  society,  and  becomes  known  to  fame,  the  world  feels  an  in- 
terest in  every  thing  that  concerns  him,  even  to  the  most  mi- 
nute event  of  his  life  ;  and  nothing  is  deemed  tedious  or  un- 
important, which  serves  to  develope  his  character  or  to  unfold 
the  secret  operations  of  his  mind,  or  the  latent  feelings  of  his 
heart.  On  this  aceount,  therefore,  auto-biographies  arc  the 
most  interesting,  and  perhaps  the  most  useful ;  because  the 
information  we  receive  is  derived  immediately  from  the  indi- 
vidual himself,  who  lays  before  the  world  the  incidents  and 
events  of  his  life,  with  the  full  knowledge  of  the  motives  and 
feelings,  and  causes  that  led  to  them,  which  no  stranger  could 
so  well  understand,  or  so  feelingly  delineate. 

Of  the  patriots  of  the  Revolution,  there  are  but  few,  for 
whose  lives  materials  sufficiently  abundant  and  circumstantial 


BEATTY.  53 

have  been  left  ;  and  of  the  lives  of  those,  who,  though  less 
distinguished,  were  perhaps  not  less  meritorious  officers,  it  is 
difficult  at  this  remote  period  to  procure  more  than  a  bare  and 
meagre  outline.  Such  is  the  fact  in  relation  to  the  subject  of 
this  brief  memoir. 

In  1776,  when  but  eighteen  years  of  age,  he  obtained  the 
appointment  of  ensign  in  colonel  Griffith's  regiment,  in  what 
was  termed  the  -flying  camp"  of  Maryland.  This  regiment, 
which  was  hastily  raised  in  the  early  part  of  the  summer,  and 
was  to  serve  until  the  1st  of  December  following,  received  or- 
ders to  march  in  July,  to  the  city  of  New  York,  which  it 
reached  without  accident,  and  thence  proceeded  immediately 
to  head  quarters  on  York  island.  The  regiment  to  which 
young  Beatty  was  attached,  continued,  during  the  campaign, 
under  the  command  of  general  Washington,  and  at  the  expi- 
ration of  his  period  of  service,  he  returned  to  his  native  state. 
He  did  not,  however,  remain  long  in  this  state  of  inglorious 
inaction,  a  condition  which  ill-suited  his  young  and  ardent 
mind  :  for  in  a  short  time  he  was  appointed  alieutenant  in 
the  Maryland  line  of  continental  troops,  and  spent  the  winter 
in  raising  recruits  for  the  regiment  to  which  he  belonged.  In 
the  discharge  of  this  unpleasant  and  difficult  duty,  he  acquit- 
ted himself  with  much  credit,  and  in  the  following  spring 
joined  the  army  at  Middlebrook,  in  New  Jersey. 

His  merit,  as  an  officer,  was  soon  discovered  by  the  com- 
mander in  chief,  and  he  was  promoted  to  a  captaincy  in  the 
1st  Maryland  regiment,  which  had  the  honour  of  being  for 
some  time  under  general  Washington's  immediate  command. 
The  first  regiment,  however,  under  the  command  of  colonel 
Gunby,  to  which  captain  Beatty  was  transferred,  and  of 
which  he  was  now  the  senior  captain,  was  finally  ordered  to 
join  the  southern  division  of  the  American  army  in  the  Caro- 
linas,  and  to  co-operate  with  the  force  there,  in  resisting  the 
progress  of  the  enemy.  The  distinguished  feats  of  this  divi- 
sion arc  familiar  to  every  American,  and  must  be  peculiarly 
gratifying  to  the  people  of  Maryland,  whose  troops  bore  so 
conspicuous  a  part  in  that  contest,  especially  the  1st  regiment, 
which,  according  to  Marshall,  "  gained  the  battle  of  Cowpens, 
and  was  pre-eminently  distinguished  in  the  retreat  through 
North  Carolina,  and  at  the  battle  of  Guilford."  In  this  last 
battle,  which  was  fought  on  the  15th  of  March,  1781,  young 
Beatty  signalized  himself  in  a  particular  manner,  by  engaging 
in  single  combat  a  gallant  British  soldier,  whom  he  pierced 
to  the  heart  with  his  espontoon.  This  brave  regiment  to 
whose  valour  the  glory  of  the  day  must  be  partly  attributed, 
SAistaiiie-d  its  high  character  for  courage  and  discipline,  and 
acquired  a  reputation  that  never  will  be  lost.     "  At  the  same 


54  BEATTY. 

instant,"  says  Johnson,  in  his  life  of  Greene,  M  Howard  (who 
now  commanded  this  regiment,  Gunby  having  been  unhorsed) 
rushed  upon  them,  the  British,  from  the  left,  and  the  battle 
was  literally  fought  hand  to  hand.  It  was  a  contest  not  only 
for  victory,  but  reputation,  Officers  and  soldiers  equally  va- 
lued themselves  as  the  Jovians  and  Herculians  of  the  two 
armies  :  nor  were  the  incidents  of  it  destitute  of  the  features 
of  chivalry  and  romance."  Young  Beatty  rose  high  in  the 
estimation  of  his  superior  officers,  and  of  the  army.  His  con- 
duct had  been  such  as  to  merit  and  receive  no  ordinary  praise, 
and  his  patriotism  and  personal  courage  promised,  at  no  great 
length  of  time,  to  elevate  him  to  high  rank  in  the  army  of  his 
country.  But  fortune  is  not  always  propitious  to  the  brave. 
His  brilliant  career  was  destined  soon  to  be  brought  to  a  close; 
but  the  laurels  he  had  won  were  doomed  to  acquire  a  fresher 
bloom  and  a  richer  verdure  by  the  manner  of  his  death.  At 
the  battle  of  Hobkick's  hill,  near  Camden,  which  was  fought 
on  the  25th  of  April,  in  the  same  year,  captain  Beatty,  while 
gallantly  leading  on  the  right  company  of  the  first  Maryland 
regiment,  received  a  mortal  wound,  and  died,  as  he  had  al- 
ways wished  to  die,  in  the  lap  of  glory.  Thus  fell  this  brave 
and  promising  young  officer,  in  the  twenty-third  year  of  his 
age,  who  has  been  emphatically  termed  by  judge  Johnson, 
"the  delight  of  his  command;"  who  was  indeed  the  pride  of 
his  regiment,  and  of  the  army,  and  whose  untimely  death  was 
universally  lamented  by  a  grateful  and  magnanimous  nation. 

General  Lee,  in  his  memoirs  of  the  war  in  the  southern  de- 
partment, speaking  of  this  battle,  says,  "The  British  lost 
no  officer  of  distinction,  which  was  not  the  case  with  us.  The 
wound  of  lieutenant  colonel  Ford  proved  mortal,  and  captain 
Beatty,  of  the  first  Maryland,  was  killed,  than  whom  the 
army  did  not  possess  an  officer  of  more  promise." 

Colonel  John  E.  Howard,  who  had  a  distinguished  com- 
mand to  the  south,  and  whose  meritorious  services  are  so  well 
known,  and  recorded  in  all  the  histories  of  the  Revolutionary 
War,  does  justice  to  the  gallantry  of  captain  Beatty,  in  the 
following  extract  of  a  letter  to  William  B.  Rochester,  Esq. 
member  of  Congress  from  New  York. 

"Baltimore,  February  18,  1813. 

"It  would  give  me  much  pleasure  to  add  my  testimony  to 
that  of  general  Greene  and  others,  of  the  great  merit  of  cap- 
tain William  Beatty.  Indeed,  the  general  in  few  words  has 
so  strongly  portrayed  his  character,  that  little  can  be  added. 

"Extract  from  the  letter  of  general  Greene  to  Congress: 
•Among  the  killed  is  captain  Beatty  of  the  Maryland  line, 
one  of  the  best  of  officers,  and  an  ornament  to  his  pro- 
fession.' 


BIDDLE.  S3 

Judge  Johnson,  in  his  Life  of  general  Greene,  says,  "  The 
first  symptom  of  confusion  was  exhibited  by  the  commence- 
ment of  a  firing,  contrary  to  orders.  This  was  scarcely  sup- 
pressed, when  captain  Beatty,  who  led  the  right  company  of 
the  first  Maryland  regiment,  and  who  was  the  delight  of  his 
command,  fell,  pierced  to  the  heart.  Captain  Beatty  was  un- 
der my  command." 

BIDDLE,  Nicholas,  captain  in  the  American  navy,  du- 
ring the  Revolutionary  War,  was  born  in  the  city  of  Philadel- 
phia, in  the  year  1750.  Among  the  brave  men,  who  perished 
in  the  glorious  struggle  for  the  independence  of  America,  cap- 
tain Biddle  holds  a  distinguished  rank.  His  services,  and 
the  high  expectations  raised  by  his  military  genius  and  gal- 
lantry, have  left  a  strong  impression  of  his  merit,  and  a  pro- 
found regret  that  his  early  fate  should  have  disappointed,  so 
soon,  the  hopes  of  his  country. 

Very  early  in  life  he  manifested  a  partiality  for  the  sea,  and 
before  the  age  of  fourteen,  he  had  made  a  voyage  to  Quebec. 
In  the  following  year,  1765.  he  sailed  from  Philadelphia  to 
Jamaica,  and  the  Bay  of  Honduras.  The  vessel  left  the  Bay 
in  the  latter  end  of  December,  1765,  bound  to  Antigua,  and 
on  the  2d  day  of  January,  in  a  heavy  gale  of  wind,  she  was 
cast  away  on  a  shoal,  called  the  Northern  Triangles.  After 
remaining  two  nights  and  a  day  upon  the  wreck,  the  crew 
took  to  their  yawl,  the  long-boat  having  been  lost,  and  with 
great  difficulty  and  hazard,  landed  on  one  of  the  small  unin- 
habited islands,  about  three  leagues  distant  from  the  reef 
upon  which  they  struck.  Here  they  staid  a  few  days.  Some 
provisions  were  procured  from  the  wreck,  and  their  boat  was 
refitted.  As  it  was  too  small  to  carry  them  all  off.  they  drew 
lots  to  determine  who  should  remain,  and  young  Biddle  was 
among  the  number.  He,  and  his  three  companions,  suffered 
extreme  hardships  for  the  want  of  provisions  and  good  water; 
and,  although  various  efforts  were  made  for  their  relief,  it  was 
nearly  two  months  before  they  succeeded. 

Such  a  scene  of  dangers  and  sufferings  in  the  commence- 
ment of  his  career,  would  have  discouraged  a  youth  of  ordi- 
nary enterprise  and  perseverance.  On  him  it  produced  no 
such  effect.  The  coolness  and  promptitude  with  which  he 
acted,  in  the  midst  of  perils  that  alarmed  the  oldest  seamen, 
gave  a  sure  presage  of  the  force  of  his  character,  and  after  he 
had  returned  home,  he  made  several  European  voyages,  in 
which  he  acquired  a  thorough  knowledge  of  seamanship. 

In  the  year  1770,  when  a  war  between  Great  Britain  and 
Spain  was  expected,  in  consequence  of  the  dispute  relative  to 
Falkland's  Island,  he  went  to  London,  in  order  to  enter  into 
the  British  navy.     He  took  with  him  letters  of  recommenda- 


G6  BIDDLE. 

tion  from  Thomas  Willing,  Esquire,  to  his  brother-in-law' 
captain  Sterling,  on  board  of  whose  ship  he  served  for  some 
time  as  a  midshipman.  The  dispute  with  Spain  being  ac- 
commodated, he  intended  to  leave  the  navy,  but  was  persuaded 
by  captain  Sterling  to  remain  in  the  service,  promising  that 
lie  would  use  all  his  interest  to  get  him  promoted.  His  ar- 
dent mind,  however,  could  not  rest  satisfied  with  the  inactivity 
of  his  situation,  which  he  was  impatient  to  change  for  one 
more  suited  to  his  disposition. 

In  the  year  1773,  a  voyage  of  discovery  was  undertaken, 
at  the  request  of  the  Royal  Society,  in  order  to  ascertain  how 
far  navigation  was  practicable  towards  the  North  Pole,  to  ad- 
vance the  discovery  of  a  north-west  passage  into  the  south 
seas,  and  to  make  such  astronomical  observations  as  might 
prove  serviceable  to  navigation. 

Two  vessels,  the  Race  Horse  and  Carcase,  were  fitted  out, 
for  the  expedition,  the  command  of  which  was  given  to  cap- 
tain Phipps,  afterwards  lord  Mulgrave.  The  peculiar  dan- 
gers to  which  such  an  undertaking  was  exposed,  induced  the 
government  to  take  extraordinary  precautions  in  fitting  out, 
and  preparing  the  vessels,  and  selecting  the  crews,  and  a 
positive  order  was  issued  that  no  boys  should  be  received  on 
board. 

To  the  bold  and  enterprising  spirit  of  young  Biddlc,  such 
an  expedition  had  great  attractions.  Extremely  anxious  to 
join  it,  he  endeavoured  to  procure  captain  Sterling's  permis- 
sion for  that  purpose,  but  he  was  unwilling  to  part  with  him, 
and  would  not  consent  to  let  him  go.  The  temptation  was, 
however,  irresistible.  He  resolved  to  go,  and  laying  aside 
bis  uniform,  he  entered  on  board  the  Carcase  before  the  mast. 
When  he  first  went  on  board,  he  was  observed  by  a  seaman 
who  had  known  him  before,  and  was  very  much  attached  to 
him.  The  honest  fellow,  thinking  that  he  must  have  been 
degraded,  and  turned  before  the  mast  in  disgrace,  was  greatly 
affected  at  seeing  him,  but  he  was  equally  surprised  and  plea- 
sed when  he  learned  the  true  cause  of  the  young  officer's  dis- 
guise, and  he  kept  his  secret  as  he  was  requested  to  do.  Im- 
pelled by  the  same  spirit,  young  Horatio,  afterwards  lord  Nel- 
son, had  solicited  and  obtained  permission  to  enter  on  board 
the  same  vessel.  These  youthful  adventurers  are  both  said  to 
have  been  appointed  cockswains,  a  station  always  assigned  to 
the  most  active  and  trusty  seaman.  The  particulars  of  this 
expedition  are  well  known  to  the  public.  These  intrepid  na- 
vigators penetrated  as  far  as  the  latitude  of  eighty-one  degrees 
and  thirty-nine  minutes,  and  they  were,  at  one  time,  enclosed 
with  mountains  of  ice,  and  their  vessels  rendered  almost  im- 
moveable for  five  davs.  at  the  hazard  of  instant  destruction. 


BIDDLE.  §? 

Captain  Biddle  kept  a  journal  of  Lis  voyage,  which  was  af- 
terwards lost  with  him. 

The  commencement  of  the  revolution  gave  a  new  turn  to 
his  pursuits,  and  he  repaired,  without  delay,  to  the  standard 
of  his  country.  When  a  rupture  hetween  England  and 
America  appeared  inevitable,  he  returned  to  Philadelphia,  and 
soon  after  his  arrival  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the 
Camden  galley,  fitted  for  the  defence  of  the  Delaware.  He 
found  this  too  inactive  a  service,  and  when  the  fleet  was  pre- 
paring, under  commodore  Hopkins,  for  an  expedition  against 
New  Providence,  he  applied  for  a  command  in  the  fleet  and 
was  immediately  appointed  commander  of  the  Andrew  Doria, 
a  brig  of  fourteen  guns,  and  one  hundred  and  thirty  men. 
Paul  Jones,  who  was  then  a  lieutenant,  and  was  going  on  the 
expedition,  was  distinguished  by  captain  Biddle,  and  intro- 
duced to  his  friends  as  an  officer  of  merit. 

Before  he  sailed  from  the  capes  of  Delaware,  an  incident 
occurred,  which  marked  his  personal  intrepidity.  Hearing 
that  two  deserters  from  his  vessel  were  at  Lewistown  in  pri- 
son, an  officer  was  sent  on  shore  for  them,  but  he  returned 
with  information  that  the  two  men,  with  some  others,  had 
armed  themselves,  barricadoed  the  door,  and  swore  they  would 
not  be  taken  ;  that  the  militia  of  the  tow  n  had  been  sent  for, 
but  were  afraid  to  open  the  door,  the  prisoners  threatening  to 
shoot  the  first  man  who  entered.  Captain  Biddle  immediately 
went  to  the  prison,  accompanied  by  a  midshipman,  and  call- 
ing to  one  of  the  deserters  whose  name  was  Green,  a  stout, 
resolute  fellow,  ordered  him  to  open  the  door  ;  he  replied  that 
he  would  not.  and  if  he  attempted  to  enter,  he  would  shoot 
him.  He  then  ordered  the  door  to  be  forced,  and  entering 
singly  with  a  pistol  in  each  hand,  he  called  to  Green,  who  wag 
prepared  to  fire,  and  said,  "Now,  Green,  if  you  do  not  take 
good  aim,  you  are  a  dead  man."  Daunted  by  his  manner, 
their  resolution  failed,  and  the  militia  coming  in,  secu- 
red them.  They  afterwards  declared  to  the  officer  who  fur- 
nishes this  account,  that  it  was  captain  Biddle'slook  and  man- 
ner which  had  awed  them  into  submission,  for  that  they  had 
determined  to  kill  him  as  soon  as  he  came  into  the  room. 

Writing  from  the  capes  to  his  brother,  the  late  judge  Bid- 
dle, he  says,  "  I  know  not  what  may  be  our  fate  :  be  it.  how- 
ever, what  it  may,  you  may  rest  assured,  I  will  never  cause  a 
blush  in  the  cheeks  of  my  friends  or  countrymen.'*  Soon  af- 
ter they  sailed,  the  small-pox  broke  out  and  raged  with  great 
violence  in  the  fleet,  which  was  manned  chieflv  by  Ne\v  En- 
gland seamen.  The  humanity  of  captain  Biddle,  always 
prompt  and  active,  was  employed  on  this  occasion  to  alleviate 
the  genera]  distress,  by  all  the  means  in  his  power.    His  owa 

8 


56  BIDDLE. 

crew,  which  was  from  Philadelphia,  being  secure  against  tht 
distemper,  he  took  on  hoard  great  numbers  of  the  sick  from 
other  vessels.  Every  part  of  his  vessel  was  crowded,  the 
long-boat  was  fitted  for  their  accommodation,  and  he  gave  up 
his  own  cot  to  a  young  midshipman,  on  whom  he  bestowed  the 
greatest  attention  till  his  death.  In  the  meanwhile  he  slept 
himself  upon  the  lockers,  refusing  the  repeated  solicitations 
of  his  officers,  to  accept  their  births.  On  their  arrival  at  New 
Providence,  it  surrendered  without  opposition.  The  crew  of 
the  Andrew  Doria,  from  their  crowded  situation,  became  sick, 
and  before  she  left  Providence,  there  were  not  men  enough 
capable  of  doing  duty  to  man  the  boats;  captain  Biddle  visited 
them  every  day,  and  ordered  every  necessary  refreshment, 
but  they  continued  sickly  until  they  arrived  at  New  London. 

After  refitting  at  New  London,  captain  Biddle  received  or- 
ders to  proceed  off  the  banks  of  Newfoundland,  in  order  to 
intercept  the  transports  and  storeships  bound  to  Boston.  Be- 
fore he  readied  the  banks,  he  captured  two  ships  from  Scot- 
land, with  four  hundred  highland  troops  on  board,  destined 
for  Boston.  At  this  time  the  Andrew  Doria  had  not  one  hun- 
dred men.  Lieutenant  Josiah,  a  brave  and  excellent  officer, 
was  put  on  board  one  of  the  prizes,  with  all  the  Highland 
officers,  and  ordered  to  make  the  nearest  port.  Unfortunately, 
about  ten  days  afterwards,  he  was  taken  by  the  Cerberus  fri- 
gate, and,  on  pretence  of  his  being  an  Englishman,  was  order- 
ed to  do  duty,  and  extremely  ill  used.  Captain  Biddle  hear- 
ing of  the  ill  treatment  of  lieutenant  Josiah,  w  rote  to  the  ad- 
miral at  New  York,  that,  however  disagreeable  it  was  to  him, 
he  would  treat  a  young  man  of  family,  believed  to  be  a  son 
of  lord  Craston,  who  was  then  his  prisoner,  in  the  manner 
they  treated  lieutenant  Josiah. 

He  also  applied  to  his  own  government  in  behalf  of  this  in- 
jured officer,  and  by  the  proceedings  of  congress,  on  the  7tli 
of  August,  1776,  it  appears,  "that  a  letter  from  captain  Ni- 
cholas Biddle  to  the  marine  committee,  w  as  laid  before  con- 
gress and  read:  whereupon.  Resolved,  That  general  Wash- 
ington be  directed  to  propose  an  exchange  of  lieutenant  Jo- 
siah, for  a  lieutenant  of  the  navy  of  Great  Britain:  that  the  ge- 
neral remonstrate  to  lord  How  e  on  the  cruel  treatment  lieu- 
tenant Josiah  has  met  with,  of  which  the  congress  have  receiv- 
ed undoubted  information."  Lieutenant  Josiah  was  exchange 
ed,  after  an  imprisonment  of  ten  months.  After  the  capture 
of  the  ships  with  the  highlanders,  such  w  as  captain  Biddle's 
activity  and  success  in  taking  prizes,  that  when  he  arrived  in 
the  Delaware,  he  had  but  five  of  the  crew  with  which  he  sail- 
ed from  New  London,  the  rest  having  been  distributed  among 
the  captured  vessels,  and  their  places  supplied  by  men  who 


BIDDLE.  59 

had  entered  from  the  prizes.  He  had  a  great  number  of  pri- 
soners, so  that,  for  some  days  before  he  got  in,  he  never  left 
the  deck. 

While  he  was  thus  indefatigably  engaged  in  weakening  the 
enemy's  power,  and  advancing  his  country's  interest,  he  was 
disinterested  and  generous  in  all  that  related  to  his  private 
advantage.  The  brave  and  worthy  opponent,  whom  the 
chance  of  war  had  thrown  in  his  power,  found  in  him  a  patron 
and  friend,  who,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  was  known  to 
restore  to  the  vanquished  the  fruits  of  victory. 

In  the  latter  end  of  the  year  1776,  captain  Biddle  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  command  of  the  Randolph,  a  frigate  of  thirty- 
two  guns.  With  his  usual  activity,  he  employed  every  exer- 
tion to  get  her  ready  for  sea.  The  difficulty  of  procuring 
American  seamen  at  that  time,  obliged  him,  in  order  to  man 
his  ship,  to  take  a  number  of  British  seamen,  who  were  pri- 
ioners  of  war,  and  who  had  requested  leave  to  enter. 

The  Randolph  sailed  from  Philadelphia,  in  February, 
1777.  Soon  after  she  got  to  sea,  her  lower  masts  were  dis- 
covered to  be  unsound,  and,  in  a  heavy  gale  of  wind,  all  her 
masts  went  by  the  board.  While  they  were  bearing  away  for 
Charleston,  the  English  sailors,  with  some  others  of  the  crew, 
formed  a  design  to  take  the  ship.  When  all  was  ready,  they 
gave  three  cheers  on  the  gun-deck.  By  the  decided  and  reso- 
lute conduct  of  captain  Biddle  and  his  officers,  the  ringleaders 
were  seized  and  punished,  and  the  rest  submitted  without  fur- 
ther resistance.  After  refitting  at  Charleston,  as  speedily  as 
possible,  he  sailed  on  a  cruise,  and  three  days  after  he  left 
the  bar,  he  fell  in  with  four  sail  of  vessels,  bound  from  Ja- 
maica to  London.  One  of  them,  called  the  True  Briton, 
mounted  twenty  guns.  The  commander  of  her,  who  had  fre- 
quently expressed  to  his  passengers,  his  hopes  of  falling  in 
with  the  Randolph,  as  soon  as  he  perceived  her,  made  all  the 
sail  he  could  from  her,  but  finding  he  could  not  escape,  he  hove 
to,  and  kept  up  a  constant  fire,  until  the  Randolph  had  bore 
down  upon  him,  and  was  preparing  for  a  broadside,  when  he 
hauled  down  his  colours.  By  her  superior  sailing,  the  Ran- 
dolph was  enabled  to  capture  the  rest  of  the  vessels,  and  in 
one  week  from  the  time  he  sailed  from  Charleston,  captain 
Biddle  returned  there  with  his  prizes,  which  proved  to  be  very 
valuable. 

Encouraged  by  his  spirit  and  success,  the  state  of  South 
Carolina  made  exertions  for  fitting  out  an  expedition  under 
his  command.  His  name,  and  the  personal  attachment  to 
him,  urged  forward  a  crowd  of  volunteers  to  serve  with  him, 
and  in  a  short  time,  the  ship  general  Moultrie,  the  brigs  Fair 
American,  and  Polly,  and  the  Notre  Dame,  were  prepared 


60  BIDDLE. 

for  sea.  A  detachment  of  fifty  men  from  the  first  regiment 
of  South  Carolina  continental  infantry,  was  ordered  to  act  as 
marines  on  board  the  Randolph.  Such  was  the  attachment 
which  the  honourable  and  amiable  deportment  of  captain  Bid- 
die  had  impressed  during  his  stay  at  Charleston,  and  such  the 
confidence  inspired  by  his  professional  conduct  and  valour, 
that  a  general  emulation  pervaded  the  corps  to  have  the 
honour  of  serving  under  his  command.  The  tour  of  duty,  after 
a  generous  competition  among  the  officers,  was  decided  to  cap- 
tain Joor,  and  to  lieutenants  Grey  and  Simmons,  whose  gal- 
lant conduct,  and  that  of  their  brave  detachment,  did  justice 
to  the  high  character  of  the  regiment.  As  soon  as  the  Ran- 
dolph was  refitted,  and  a  new  mainmast  obtained  in  place  of 
one  which  had  been  struck  with  lightning,  she  dropt  down  to 
Rebellion  Roads  with  her  little  squadron.  Tiieir  intention 
was  to  attack  the  Carysfort  frigate,  the  Perseus  twenty-four 
gun  ship,  the  Hinchinbrook  of  sixteen  guns,  and  a  privateer 
which  had  been  cruizing  off  the  bar,  and  had  much  annoyed 
the  trade.  They  were  detained  a  considerable  time  in  Rebel- 
lion Roads,  after  they  were  ready  to  sail,  by  contrary  winds 
and  want  of  water,  on  the  bar,  for  the  Randolph.  As  soon 
as  they  got  over  the  bar,  they  stood  to  the  eastward,  in  expec- 
tation of  falling  in  with  the  British  cruizers.  The  next  day, 
they  retook  a  dismasted  ship  from  New  England  ;  as  she  had 
no  cargo  on  board,  they  took  out  her  crew,  six  light  guns, 
and  some  stores,  and  set  her  on  fire.  Finding  that  the  British 
ships  had  left  the  coast,  they  proceeded  to  the  West  Indies, 
and  cjuized  to  the  eastward,  and  nearly  in  the  latitude  of  Bar- 
badoes,  for  some  days,  during  which  time  they  boarded  a 
number  of  French  and  Dutch  ships,  and  took  an  English 
schooner  from  New  York,  bound  to  Grenada,  which  had  mis- 
taken the  Randolph  for  a  British  frigate,  and  was  taken  pos- 
session of  before  the  mistake  was  discovered. 

On  the  night  of  the  7th  March,  1778,  the  fatal  accident  oc- 
curred, which  terminated  the  life  of  this  excellent  officer.  For 
some  days  previously,  he  had  expected  an  attack.  Captain 
Blake,  a  brave  officer,  who  commanded  a  detachment  of  the 
second  South  Carolina  regiment,  serving  as  marines  on  board 
the  general  Moultrie,  and  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  sev- 
eral of  the  ensuing  particulars,  dined  on  board  the  Randolph 
two  days  before  the  engagement.  At  dinner,  captain  Biddlc 
said,  "  We  have  been  cruizing  here  for  some  time,  and  have 
spoken  a  number  of  vessels,  who  will  no  doubt  give  informal 
fion  of  us,  and  I  should  not  be  surprised  if  my  old  ship  should 
he  out  after  us.  As  to  any  thing  that  carries  her  guns  upon 
one  deck,  I  think  myself  a  match  for  her."  About  three.  P. 
M.  of  the  7th  of  March,  a  signal  was  made  from  tbe  Kan- 


BIDDLE.  61 

dolph  for  a  sail  to  windward,  in  consequence  of  which  the 
squadron  hauled  upon  a  wind,  in  order  to  speak  her.  It  was 
4  o'clock  before  she  could  be  distinctly  seen,  when  she  was 
discovered  to  be  a  ship,  though  as  sbe  ncared  and  came  before 
the  wind,  she  had  the  appearance  of  a  large  sloop,  with  only 
a  square  sail  set.  About  7  o'clock,  tbe  Randolph  being  to 
windward,  hove  to,  tbe  Moultrie  being  about  one  hundred  and 
fifty  yards  astern,  and  rather  to  leeward,  also  hove  to.  About 
8  o'clock,  tbe  British  ship  fired  a  shot  just  ahead  of  the  Moul- 
trie, and  bailed  her;  the  answer  was.  tbe  Polly  of  New  York, 
upon  which  sbe  immediately  hauled  her  wind,  and  hailed  the 
Randolph.  Sbe  was  then,  for  the  first  time,  discovered  to  be 
a  two  decker.  After  several  questions  asked  and  answered, 
as  she  was  ranging  up  along  side  the  Randolph,  and  had  got 
on  her  weather  quarter,  lieutenant  Barnes,  of  that  ship,  call- 
ed out.  "This  is  the  Randolph,"  and  she  immediately  hoisted 
her  colours,  and  gave  the  enemy  a  broadside.  Shortly  after 
the  action  commenced,  captain  Biddle  received  a  wound  in  the 
thigh,  and  fell.  This  occasioned  some  confusion,  as  it  was  at 
first  thought  that  lie  was  killed.  He  soon,  however,  ordered  a 
chair  to  be  brougbt,  said  that  he  was  only  slightly  wounded, 
and  being  carried  forward  encouraged  the  crew.  The  stern 
of  the  enemy's  ship  being  clear  of  tbe  Randolph,  the  captain 
of  the  Moultrie  gave  orders  to  fire,  but  tbe  enemy  having  shot 
ahead,  so  as  to  bring  the  Randolph  between  them,  the  last 
broadside  of  the  Moultrie  went  into  the  Randolph,  and  it  was 
thought  by  one  of  the  men  saved,  who  was  stationed  on  the 
quarter-deck,  near  captain  Biddle,  that  he  was  wounded  by  a 
shot  from  the  Moultrie.  The  fire  from  the  Randolph  was 
constant  and  well  directed.  She  fired  nearly  three  broadsides 
to  the  enemy's  one.  and  she  appeared,  while  the  battle  lasted 
to  be  in  a  continual  blaze.  In  about  twenty  minutes  after  the 
action  began,  and  while  the  surgeon  was  examining  captain 
Biddle's  wound  on  the  quarter-deck,  the  Randolph  blew  up. 

The  enemy's  vessel  was  the  British  ship  Yarmouth,  of  sixty 
four  guns,  commanded  by  captain  Vincent.  So  closely  were 
they  engaged,  that  captain  Morgan,  of  the  Fair  American, 
and  all  his  crew,  thought  that  it  was  the  enemy's  ship  that  had 
blown  up.  He  stood  for  the  Yarmouth,  and  had  a  trumpet  in 
his  hand  to  hail  and  inquire  how  captain  Biddle  was,  when  he 
discovered  his  mistake.  Owing  to  the  disabled  condition  of 
the  Yarmouth,  the  other  vessels  escaped. 

The  cause  of  the  explosion  was  never  ascertained,  but  it  is 
remarkable  that  just  before  he  sailed,  after  the  clerk  had  co- 
pied the  signals  and  orders  for  the  armed  vessels  that  accom- 
panied him,  he  wrote  at  the  foot  of  them,  "  In  case  of  coming 
to  action  in  the  night,  be  rery  careful  of  your  magazines." 


6;2  BLAND. 

The  number  of  persons  on  board  the  Randolph  was  three  hun- 
dred and  fifteen,  who  all  perished,  except  four  men,  who  were 
tossed  about  for  four  days  on  a  piece  of  the  wreck,  before  they 
were  discovered  and  taken  up.  From  the  information  of  two 
of  these  men,  who  were  afterwards  in  Philadelphia,  and  of 
some  individuals  in  the  other  vessels  of  the  squadron,  we  have 
been  enabled  to  state  some  particulars  of  this  unfortunate 
event  in  addition  to  the  accounts  given  of  it  by  Dr.  Ramsay, 
in  his  History  of  the  American  Revolution,  and  in  his  History 
of  the  Revolution  in  South  Carolina.  In  the  former  work, 
the  historian  thus  concludes  his  account  of  the  action  :  ''Cap- 
tain Biddle  who  perished  on  board  the  Randolph  was  univer- 
sally lamented.  He  was  in  the  prime  of  life,  and  had  excited 
high  expectations  of  future  usefulness  to  his  country,  as  a  bold 
and  skilful  naval  officer." 

Thus  prematurely  fell,  at  the  age  of  twenty-seven,  as  gal- 
lant an  officer  as  any  country  ever  boasted  of.  In  the  short 
career  which  Providence  allowed  to  him,  he  displayed  all 
those  qualities  which  constitute  a  great  soldier.  Brave  to 
excess,  and  consummately  skilled  in  his  profession,  no  danger 
nor  unexpected  event  could  shake  his  firmness,  or  disturb  his 
presence  of  mind.  An  exact  and  rigid  disciplinarian,  he 
tempered  his  authority  with  so  much  humanity  and  affability, 
that  his  orders  were  always  executed  with  cheerfulness  and 
alacrity.  Perhaps  no  officer  ever  understood  better  the  art 
of  commanding  the  affections,  as  well  as  the  respect  of  those 
who  served  under  him;  if  that  can  be  called  an  art  which  was 
rather  the  natural  effect  of  the  benevolence  and  magnanimity 
of  his  character. 

BLAND,  Tiieodoric,  a  worthy  patriot  and  statesman, 
was  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  descended  from  an  ancient  and 
respectable  family  in  that  state.  He  was  bred  to  the  science 
of  physic,  but  upon  the  commencement  of  the  American  war, 
he  quitted  the  practice,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  cause 
of  his  country.  He  soon  rose  to  the  rank  of  Colonel,  and  had 
the  command  of  a  regiment  of  dragoons.  While  in  the  army 
he  frequently  signalized  himself  by  brilliant  actions.  In  1779, 
he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  Convention  troops  at 
Albemarle  barracks,  in  Virginia,  and  continued  in  that  situ- 
ation till  some  time  in  1780,  when  he  was  elected  to  a  seat  in 
congress.  He  continued  in  that  body  three  years,  the  time 
allowed  by  the  confederation. 

After  the  expiration  of  this  term,  he  again  returned  to  Vir- 
ginia, and  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  state  legislature.  He 
opposed  the  adoption  of  the  constitution,  believing  it  to  be  re- 
pugnant to  the  interest  of  his  country,  and  was  in  the  minori- 
ty that  voted  against  its  ratification.     But  when  it  was  at 


BLOUNT— BOUDINOT.  6S 

length  adopted,  he  submitted  to  the  voice  of  the  majority.  He 
was  chosen  to  represent  the  district  in  which  he  lived,  in  the 
first  congress  under  the  constitution. 

He  died  at  New-York,  June  1,  1790,  while  attending  a  ses- 
sion of  Congress,  in  the  forty-ninth  year  of  his  age.  He  was 
honest,  open,  candid;  and  his  conduct  was  such  in  his  inter- 
course with  mankind  as  to  secure  universal  respect.  He  had 
a  talent  and  genius  for  poetry. 

BLOUNT,  Thomas,  took  an  early  and  active  part  in  fa- 
vour of  the  rights  and  liberties  of  his  country,  at  an  early 
age.  Whilst  a  boy,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  entered  into  his 
country's  service  a  volunteer  in  the  Revolutionary  army,  in 
which  he  served  in  ^  arious  capacities  until  the  conclusion  of 
a  peace.  We  are  not  acquainted  with  the  rank  he  held  at  the 
close  of  the  war,  but  such  was  the  confidence  of  the  state  in 
his  patriotism  and  military  talent,  that  he  was  raised  by  suc- 
cessive promotion,  to  the  highest  rank  in  the  militia  of  that 
state,  in  which  capacity  he  commanded  universal  approbation. 
General  Blount  had  been  a  member  of  congress  for  many 
years,  with  occasional  intervals.  As  a  politician,  whilst  he 
was  justly  considered  the  inflexible  and  ardent  friend  to  his 
country,  he  never  departed  from  that  gentlemanly  deportment 
which  characterised  the  man.  He  was  an  honorable  and 
worthy  man,  and  in  him  North  Carolina  lost  one  of  her  most 
useful  and  respected  citizens.  Intrepid  as  a  soldier,  firm  and 
consistent  as  a  politician,  lie  united  the  qualities  of  a  states- 
man and  warrior,  with  those  of  the  patriot  and  scholar.  He 
died  at  the  city  of  Washington,  on  the  8th  February,  1812, 
in  the  53d  year  of  his  age,  whilst  attending  his  duties  in  con- 
gress, as  a  representative  from  the  state  of  North  Carolina. 
His  remains  were  interred  in  the  public  burial  ground,  on  the 
10th  February,  with  military  honours.  His  funeral  was  at- 
tended by  the  military  and  members  of  both  houses  of  con- 
gress; and  the  solemnity  and  length  of  the  procession  which 
accompanied  to  the  silent  tomb,  afforded  ample  testimony  to 
the  general  sensibility  for  his  loss. 

BOUDINOT,  Eiias,  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  on  the  2d 
of  May,  1740.  He  was  descended  from  one  of  those  pious 
refugees  who  fled  from  France  to  America  to  escape  the  hor- 
rors of  ecclesiastical  persecution,  and  to  enjoy  religious  free- 
dom in  this  favoured  land.  He  had  the  advantage  of  a  clas- 
sical education,  and  pursued  the  study  of  the  law  under 
the  direction  of  Richard  Stockton,  Esqr.  a  member  of  the 
first  American  congress,  whose  eldest  sister  he  afterwards 
married. 

Shortly  after  his  admission  to  the  bar  of  New  Jersey,  Dr. 
Boudinot  rose  to  the  first  grade  in  his  profession.     Early  in 


64  BOUDINOT. 

the  Revolutionary  War  he  was  appointed  hy  Congress  to  the 
important  trust  of  Commissary  General  of  prisoners.  In 
the  year  1777,  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  National  Con- 
gress, anil  in  the  year  1782,  he  was  elected  President  of  that 
august  body.  In  this  capacity,  he  had  the  honour  and  happi- 
ness of  putting  his  signature  to  the  treaty  of  peace,  which  for- 
ever established  his  country's  independence. 

On  the  return  of  peace  he  resumed  the  practice  of  the  law.. 
It  was  not  long,  however,  before  he  was  called  to  a  more  im- 
portant station.  On  the  adoption  of  the  present  constitution 
of  the  United  States,  the  confidence  of  bis  fellow-citizens  al- 
lotted him  a  seat  in  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  Uni- 
ted States.  In  this  honourable  place  lie  was  continued  for  six 
successive  years.  On  quitting  it  to  return  once  more  to  the 
pursuits  of  private  life,  he  was  appointed  by  that  consummate 
judge  of  character,  the  first  President  of  the  United  States, 
to  fill  the  office  of  director  of  the  national  mint,  vacated  by 
the  death  of  the  celebrated  Rittenhouse.  This  trust  he  execu- 
ted, with  exemplary  fidelity,  during  the  administration  of 
Washington,  of  Adams,  and*  (in  part)  of  Jefferson.  Resign- 
in0,  this  office,  and  seeking  seclusion  from  the  perplexities  of 
public  life,  and  from  the  bustle  and  ceremony  of  a  commercial 
metropolis,  be  fixed  his  residence  in  the  city  of  Burlington, 
(New  Jersey.)  Here,  surrounded  by  affectionate  friends,  and 
visited  by  strangers  of  distinction  ;  engaged  much  in  pursuit 
of  biblical  literature  ;  practising  the  most  liberal  and  un- 
ceremonious hospitality ;  filling  up  life  in  the  exercise  of 
christian  duties,  and  of  the  loveliest  charities  that  exalt  our 
nature  ;  meekly  and  quietly  communicating  and  receiving 
happiness  of  the  purest  kind  ;  he  sustained,  and  has  left  such 
a  character,  as  will  forever  endear  his  memory  to  his  friends, 
and  do  honour  to  his  country. 

Prior  to  the  revolution  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
board  of  trustees  of  New  Jersey  college.  At  the  time  of 
his  decease,  he  was  the  senior  member  of  this  corporation. 
The  liberal  donation  he  made  it  during  life,  and  the  more 
ample  one  in  his  last  will,  must  be  long  remembered  with  gra- 
titude by  the  friends  of  science.  But,  while  anxious  to  pro- 
mote the  interests  of  science,  he  was  not  unmindful  of  the  su- 
perior claims  of  religion  on  bis  remembrance  and  his  bounty. 
Attached  by  principle  and  habit  to  the  religious  denomination 
of  which  he  was  so  distinguished  a  member,  he  has  been  most 
liberal  in  his  testamentary  donations  to  the  General  Assembly 
of  the  Presbvterian  Church,  and  to  their  Theological  Semi- 
nary, established  at  Princeton.  But,  as  bis  mind  unshackled 
by  bigotry  or  sectarian  prejudice,  w  as  expanded  by  the  noblest 
principles  of  Christian  benevolence,  he  has  also  very  liberally 


BOWDOIN.  65 

endowed  various  institutions  whose  object  is  to  diffuse  more 
widely  the  light  of  revealed  truth  ;  to  evangelize  the  heathen; 
to  instruct  the  deaf  and  dumb;  to  educate  youth  for  the  sacred 
ministry:  to  advance  knowledge,  and  to  relieve  the  wants 
and  miseries  of  the  sick  or  suffering  poor. 

To  those  of  his  fellow-citizens,  however,  who  are  peculiar- 
ly interested  in  the  wide  circulation  of  the  sacred  scriptures, 
perhaps  the  chief  excellence  in  the  character  of  the  deceased, 
was  the  ardent  and  effective  zeal  he  displayed  in  the  Bible  cause. 
The  efforts  he  at  first  made,  notwithstanding  the  infirmities 
of  age  and  much  unexpected  opposition,  to  establish  the  Ame- 
rican Bible  society:  his  munificent  donation  to  this  institu- 
tion at  its  first  organization;  his  subsequent  liberality  to  aid 
in  the  erection  of  a  depository;  the  devise  of  a  large  and  va- 
luable tract  of  land:  and  the  deep  ami  undiminished  interest 
he  has  taken  in  all  the  concerns  of  the  national  society  ever 
since  he  was  chosen  to  be  its  president:  while  they  spread  his 
fame  through  every  region  of  the  globe,  will  consecrate  his 
memory  in  the  hearts  of  his  fellow-citizens  in  America,  and 
his  fellow-christians  throughout  the  world.  But,  if  his  pub- 
lic services  and  his  private  worth  claim  the  tribute  of  general 
esteem  and  affectionate  remembrance,  the  closing  scene  of  his 
life  is  no  less  calculated  to  console  his  friends  under  the  heavy 
loss  they  have  sustained,  than  it  is  to  edify  and  support 
the  departing  christian.  In  the  full  possession  of  his  mental 
faculties,  and  in  the  assured  persuasion  of  his  approaching 
dissolution,  his  faith  was  firm,  his  patience  unexhausted,  and 
his  hopes  were  bright.  While,  with  paternal  solicitude,  he  ex- 
horted those  around  him  to  rest  on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as 
the  only  true  ground  of  trust;  while,  with  solemnity  and  ten- 
derness, he  commended  a  dutiful  and  affectionate  daughter 
(his  only  child)  to  the  care  of  his  surviving  friends,  with  hum- 
ble resignation  he  expressed  his  readiness,  his  "desire  to  de- 
part in  peace,"  to  the  bosom  of  his  Father  in  Heaven:  and 
the  last  prayer  he  was  heard  to  articulate,  was,  Lord  Jesus, 
receive  my  spirit! 

Dr.  Boiidinot  died  at  his  seat  in  the  city  of  Burlington, 
New  Jersey,  on  the  24th  of  October,  1821,  in  the  eighty- 
second  year  of  his  age.  On  the  26th  of  October,  his  remains 
were  committed  to  the  tomb,  followed  by  a  large  concourse  of 
family  connections,  and  by  the  most  respectable  inhabitants  of 
the  city  of  Burlington.  Among  the  mourning  friends  who 
attended  on  this  occasion,  was  a  deputation  from  the  board  of 
managers  of  the  American  bible  society. 

BOWDOIN,  James,  governor  of  Massachusetts,  was  born 
in  Boston.  1727.  His  father  rose  from  common  life  to  an 
eminence  among  the  merchants  of  the  town,  and  was  suppos^ 

9 


66  BOWDOIN. 

ed  to  leave  the  greatest  estate  which  ever  had  been  owned  by 
any  individual  of  Massachusetts.  His  ancestors  were  Frenck 
refugees,  who  left  their  country  after  the  revocation  of  the 
edict  of  Nantz.  They  first  went  to  Ireland,  and  then  came  tff 
New-Engl;ind,  1688. 

Mr.  Bowdoin  was  graduated  at  Harvard  College  in  1745. 
tic  very  soon  hecame  a  distinguished  character  among  the  ci- 
tizens of  Boston  ;  was  chosen  a  representative  to  the  general 
court,  1756;  and  from  this  year  continued  in  public  life  till 
the  year  1769,  when  he  was  negatived  by  governor  Bernard, 
on  account  of  his  being  the  most  leading  whig  at  the  council 
board.  He  was,  the  next  year,  sent  representative  from  Bos- 
ton ;  chosen  a  counsellor  ;  and  accepted  by  Mr.  Hutchinson, 
because  he  thought  his  influence  less  prejudicial  "  in  the  house 
of  representatives,  than  at  the  council  board."  He  was  one 
of  the  committee  that  drew  the  answer  to  the  governor's 
speeches,  where  he  asserted  and  endeavoured  to  prove,  by 
strong  arguments,  the  right  of  Great  Britain  to  tax  America. 
For  this  he  had  the  honour  of  being  negatived  by  governor 
Gage,  in  1774,  who  declared  that  "he  had  express  orders 
from  his  majesty  to  set  aside  from  that  board,  the  honourable 
Mr.  Bowdoin,  Mr.  Dexter,  and  Mr.  Winthrop." 

During  this  memorable  year,  delegates  were  chosen  to  meet 
at  Philadelphia.  Mr.  Bowdoin  was  the  first  member  of  the 
Massachusetts  delegation.  He  was  prevented  from  attending 
his  duty  by  his  ill  state  of  health.  Mr.  Hancock  was  afterwards 
chosen  in  his  place.  In  1775,  when  the  town  of  Boston  was 
blockaded,  Mr.  Bowdoin  was  moderator  of  the  meeting,  when, 
the  inhabitants  agreed  to  give  up  their  arms  to  general  Gage, 
on  condition  of  their  being  permitted  to  leave  the  place  with- 
their  property,  and  without  disturbance.  In  this  business  he 
conducted  with  great  prudence  and  firmness,  and  Mas  one  of 
the  first  who  went  out  of  Boston  after  the  agreement.  It  is 
well  known  how  shamefully  the  promises  of  the  British  com- 
manders were  violated.  Mr.  Bowdoin  took  his  place  as  chief 
of  the  Massachusetts  council  at  Watertown,  and  was  one  of 
the  ffteen,  who  by  the  charter  were  to  act  in  the  room  of  the 
governor,  when  the  office  was  vacated.  In  1778 — 80,  the 
convention  for  establishing  a  state  government  for  Massachu- 
setts, met  at  Cambridge,  and  afterwards  at  Boston.  Of  this 
body,  Mr.  Bowdoin  was  president.  In  tl>e  year  1785,  after 
the  resignation  of  Hancock,  he  was  chosen  governor  of  Mas- 
sachusetts, and  was  re-elected  the  following  year.  In  this  of- 
fice his  wisdom,  firmness,  and  inflexible  integrity,  were  con- 
spicuous. With  uniform  ability  and  patriotism,  he  advocated 
the  cause  of  his  country,  and  his  writings  and  exertions  du- 
ring the  revolutionary  war,  were  eminently  useful.     When 


BRADFORD.  67 

the  constitution  of  the  United  States  was  planned,  and  the 
Massachusetts  convention  met  to  consider  whether  it  should  be 
adopted,Mr.  Bosvdoin  was  at  the  head  of  the  Boston  delega- 
tion, all  of  whom  voted  in  favour  of  it.  .  He  made  a  very 
handsome  speech  upon  the  occasion,  which  may  be  read  in  the 
volume  of  their  debates-  From  this  time  he  changed  the  tu- 
mult of  public  scenes,  for  domestic  peace,  and  the  satisfaction 
ef  study. 

He  was  an  excellent  scholar  at  college,  and  afterwards  pur- 
sued philosophical  studies.  When  the  American  academy  of 
arts  and  sciences  was  instituted,  he  was  appointed  the  first 
president,  and  contributed  several  papers  which  were  printed 
in  the  first  volume  of  their  transactions.  He  also  pronoun- 
ced an  oration  w  upon  the  benefits  of  Philosophy,"  which 
was  printed  in  a  pamphlet,  and  also  in  the  volume,  with  the 
proceedings  of  the  society.  His  literary  reputation  was  not 
confined  to  his  own  country.  He  was  a  member  of  several 
foreign  societies  for  the  promotion  of  agriculture,  arts,  and 
commerce.  He  was  also  fellow  of  the  royal  society,  Lon- 
don. 

In  other  walks  of  life,  Mr.  Bowdoin  was  conspicuous  and 
useful.  When  the  humane  society  was  instituted  he  was 
chosen  the  first  president.  He  was  always  ready  to  promote 
every  literary,  benevolent  and  religious  institution.  He  ex- 
hibited the  virtues  of  social  life  in  all  their  engaging  lustre3 
and  he  also  breathed  a  christian  spirit. 

His  mind  was  imbued  with  religious  sentiments  by  his  edu- 
cation, and  formed  to  the  love  of  goodness  :  he  was  fond  of 
theological  inquiries  amidst  the  course  of  his  other  studies. 
Few  men.  who  are  not  of  the  profession,  had  studied  divinity 
with  more  earnestness,  or  greater  desire  to  obtain  a  knowledge 
of  the  scriptures.  He  early  in  life  became  a  communicant  at 
the  church  in  Brattle-street. 

He  died  in  Boston,  after  a  distressing  illness  of  three 
months,  November  6,  1790,  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of  his 
age. 

BRADFORD,  William,  a  lawyer  of  great  eminence, 
was  born  in  Philadelphia,  September  14th,  1755,  and  was 
placed  early  under  the  particular  care  of  a  very  repecta- 
ble  and  worthy  clergyman,  a  few  miles  from  that  city,  from 
whom  he  received  the  rudiments  of  an  education,  which  was 
afterwards  improved  to  the  greatest  advantage,  and  under  the 
tuition  of  this  excellent  preceptor  he  remained,  with  little  in- 
terruption, until  he  was  fit  to  enter  college.  It  was  at  this 
time  that  his  father  had  formed  a  plan  of  keeping  him  at 
home,  and  of  bringing  him  up  in  the  insurance  office,  which 
he  then  conducted :  but  so  strong  was  the  love  of  learning 


68  BRADFORD. 

implanted  in  the  young  mind  of  his  son,  that  neither  persua- 
sion, nor  offers  of  a  pecuniary  advantage,  could  prevail  with 
him  to  abandon  the  hopes  of  a  liberal  education,  and  he  vol- 
untarily offered  to  resign  every  expectation  of  the  former  from 
his  father,  to  attain  the  advantages  of  the  latter,  by  a  regular 
course  of  studies.  Accordingly  in  the  spring  of  1769,  he  was 
sent  to  Princeton,  and  entered  the  college  of  Nassau  Hall, 
then  under  the  direction  of  the  late  learned  and  pious  Dr. 
John  Witherspoon,  where  he  continued  with  great  benefit  to 
himself  till  the  fall  of  1772,  when  he  received  the  honours  of 
the  college  by  a  degree  of  bachelor  of  arts,  and  in  1775,  that 
of  A.  M.  During  his  residence  at  this  seminary,  he  was 
greatly  beloved  by  his  fellow  students,  while  he  confirmed 
the  expectations  of  his  friends  and  the  faculty  of  the  college, 
by  giving  repeated  evidence  of  genius  and  taste,  and  at  the 
public  commencement,  had  one  of  the  highest  honours  of  the 
class  conferred  upon  him. 

He  continued  at  Princeton  till  the  year  following,  during 
which  time  an  opportunity  was  afforded  him  of  attending  Dr. 
Witherspoon's  excellent  lectures  on  theology,  and  from  this 
useful  teacher  he  received  much  information  and  general 
know  ledge ;  after  which  he  returned  to  the  scenes  of  his 
youth,  and  spent  several  months  under  the  instruction  of  his 
first  reverend  preceptor,  who  strove  to  prepare  him  for  fu- 
ture usefulness,  by  his  piety,  experience,  and  knowledge  of  the 
world. 

Thus  fitted  for  active  life,  after  consulting  his  own  inclina- 
tions, and  the  advice  of  his  friends,  he  fixed  on  the  study  of 
the  law,  which  he  commenced  under  the  late  Edward  Ship- 
pen,  Esq.  then  one  of  the  council  of  the  supreme  court  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  late  chief  justice  of  that  state,  where  he 
prosecuted  his  studies  with  his  usual  diligence  and  unwearied 
application. 

In  the  spring  of  1776,  he  was  called  upon,  by  the  peculiar 
circumstances  of  the  times,  to  exert  himself  in  defence  of  the 
dearest  rights  of  human  nature,  and  to  join  the  standard  of 
his  country,  in  opposition  to  the  oppressive  exactions  of  Great 
Britain.  When  the  militia  were  called  out  to  form  the  flying 
camp,  he  was  chosen  major  of  brigade  to  general  Roberdeau, 
and  on  the  expiration  of  his  term,  accepted  a  company  in  co- 
lonel Hampton's  regular  troops,  where  he  was  soon  promoted 
to  the  station  of  deputy  paymaster  general,  witli  the  rank  of 
lieutenant  colonel,  in  which  office  he  continued  about  two 
years,  till  his  want  of  health,  being  of  a  delicate  constitution, 
obliged  him  to  resign  his  commission  and  return  home.  He 
no w  recommenced  the  study  of  the  law,  and  in  1779,  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  the  supreme  court  of  Pennsylvania,  where 


BRADFORD.  69 

i 

his  rising  character  soon  introduced  him  into  an  unusual  share 
of  business  ;  and,  in  August,  1730,  only  one  year  after  he  was 
licensed,  by  the  recommendations  of  tiie  bar,  and  the  particu- 
lar attention  of  the  late  Joseph  Reed,  Esq.  then  president  of 
the  state,  he  was  appointed  attorney  general  of  the  state  of 
Pennsylvania. 

In  1784.  be  married  the  daughter  of  Elias  Boudinot,  of 
New  Jersey,  counsellor  at  law,  with  whom  he  lived  till  his 
death,  in  the  exercise  of  every  domestic  virtue  that  could 
adorn  human  nature.  On  the  reformation  of  the  courts  of 
justice  under  the  new  constitution  of  Pennsylvania,  he  was 
solicited  to  accept  the  honourable  oihee  of  one  of  the  judges  of 
the  supreme  court,  which,  with  much  hesitation,  he  accepted, 
and  was  commissioned  by  governor  Mifflin,  August  22, 1791. 

His  indefatigable  industry,  unshaken  integrity,  and  correct 
judgment,  enabled  him  to  give  general  satisfaction  in  this  of- 
fice, as  well  to  the  suitors  as  at  the  bar.  Here  he  had  deter- 
mined to  spend  a  considerable  part  of  his  life;  but  on  the  at- 
torney general  of  the  United  States  being  promoted  to  the 
office  of  secretary  of  state,  Mr.  Bradford  was  urged,  by  va- 
rious public  considerations,  to  yield  to  the  pressure  of  the  oc- 
casion, and  accept  of  that  office.  He  accordingly  resigned 
his  judge's  commission,  and  was  appointed  attorney  general 
of  the  United  States  on  the  28th  day  of  January,  1794.  This 
office  he  held  till  his  death,  when  he  was  found  at  his  post,  in 
the  midst  of  great  usefulness,  possessing,  in  a  high  degree, 
the  confidence  of  the  country. 

Mr.  Bradford's  temper  was  mild  and  amiable:  his  manners 
were  genteel,  unassuming,  modest,  and  conciliating.  As  a 
public  speaker,  his  eloquence  was  soft,  persuasive,  nervous 
and  convincing.  He  understood  mankind  well,  and  knew 
how  to  place  his  arguments  and  his  reasonings  in  the  most 
;triking  point  of  light.  His  language  was  pure,  sententious, 
and  pleasing;  and  he  so  managed  most  of  his  forensic  disputes 
as  scarcely  ever  to  displease  his  opponents;  while  he  gave  the 
utmost  satisfaction  to  his  clients.  His  close  application  to 
the  law,  and  the  litigation  of  the  bar,  did  not  prevent  him 
altogether  from  indulging  now  and  then  his  fondness  for 
poetry;  his  taste  and  talents  for  which  were  above  the  com- 
mon standard,  and  several  pieces  of  his  composition  have  been 
published.  In  1793,  he  published  "an  inquiry  how  far  the 
punishment  of  death  is  necessary  in  Pennsylvania"  This 
was  written  at  the  request  of  governor  Mifflin,  and  intended 
for  the  use  of  the  legislature,  in  the  nature  of  a  report ;  they 
having  the  subject  at  large  under  their  consideration.  This 
"performance  justly  gained  him  great  credit,  and  its  happy  ef- 
fects are  manifested  wherever  it  has  been  read  with  attention, 


70  BROAD— BROOKS. 

especially  in  the  reformation  of  the  penal  codes  of  several 
states  in  the  union,  where  the  interests  of  humanity  have,  at 
last,  prevailed  over  ancient  and  inveterate  prejudices. 

He  died  on  the  23d  day  of  August,  1795,  in  the  fortieth 
year  of  his  age,  and  was,  according  to  his  express  desire, 
buried  by  the  side  of  his  parents,  in  the  burial  ground  belong- 
ing to  the  second  Presbyterian  church  in  Philadelphia. 

BRO  AD,  Hezekiah,  was  a  patriot  of  the  American  revo- 
lution. He  was  a  member  of  the  provincial  congress,  at 
Concord,  in  1774;  afterwards  held  a  commission  in  the  pro- 
vincial army,  and  a  more  decisive,  inflexible,  and  courageous 
character,  rarely  met  an  invading  foe.  Possessing  a  most  pow- 
erful and  vigorous  mind,  every  action  of  his  life  was  balanced 
with  a  discriminating  judgment,  and  tempered  with  discre- 
tion. If  it  could  be  said  of  a  man  that  he  possessed  the  in- 
tegrity of  major  Broad,  he  needed  no  farther  evidence  to  es- 
tablish his  moral  rectitude.  He  despised  vain,  pompous  show, 
and  generally  sought  happiness  in  reading  and  meditating  at 
his  fire-side.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  convention,  in  Cam- 
bridge, in  1779,  which  formed  the  constitution  of  Massachu- 
setts, and  filled  the  various  offices  which  his  fellow  townsmen 
could  bestow  by  their  suffrages,  for  a  series  of  successive 
years,  and  managed  its  concerns  with  exactness. 

He  died  in  Natick,  Massachusetts,  the  17th  of  March,  1824, 
in  the  seventy-sixth  year  of  his  age. 

BROOKS,  Eleazar,  a  brigadier  general  in  the  revolution- 
ary war,  was  born  in  Concord,  Massachusetts,  in  1726.  With- 
out the  advantages  of  education,  he  acquired  a  valuable  fund  of 
knowledge.  It  was  his  practice  in  early  life  to  read  the  most 
approved  books,  and  then  to  converse  with  the  most  intelli- 
gent men  respecting  them.  In  1774,  he  was  chosen  a  repre- 
sentative to  the  general  court,  and  continued  twenty-seven 
years  in  public  life,  being  successively  a  representative,  a 
member  of  the  senate,  and  of  the  council.  He  took  a  decided 
part  in  the  American  revolution.  At  the  head  of  a  regiment 
he  was  engaged  in  the  battle  at  White  Plains,  in  1776,  and  in 
the  second  action  near  Still  Water,  October  7,  1777,  and  dis- 
tinguished himself  by  his  cool  determined  bravery.  From  the 
year  1801,  he  secluded  himself  in  the  tranquil  scenes  of  do- 
mestic life.  He  died  at  Lincoln,  Massachusetts,  November 
9,  1806,  aged  eighty  years. 

General  Brooks  possessed  an  uncommonly  strong  and  pene- 
trating mind,  and  his  judgment  as  a  statesman  was  treated 
with  respect.  He  was  diligent  and  industrious,  slow  in  con- 
certing, but  expeditious  in  performing  his  plans.  He  was  a 
firm  believer  in  the  doctrines  of  Christianity,  and  in  his  ad-' 
vanced  years  accepted  the  office  of  deacon  in  the  church  at  Lin^- 


BROWN.  71 

coin.  This  office  he  ranked  above  all  others,  which  he  had 
sustained  during  life. 

BROWN,  Moses,  was  a  brave  officer  in  the  navy  of  thft 
United  States.  During  the  last  forty-eight  years  of  his  life 
he  followed  the  profession  of  a  mariner.  In  the  revolutionary 
war,  his  reputation  gained  him  the  command  of  several  of  the 
largest  private  armed  ships  from  New  England.  In  these 
stations  he  was  zealous,  brave,  and  successful.  He  was  en- 
gaged in  several  severe  battles  with  the  enemy,  and  distin- 
guished himself  particularly  in  one  with  a  ship  of  superior 
force.  When  the  small  American  navy  was  establishing,  a 
number  of  years  after  the  war,  the  merchants  of  Newbury- 
port  built  a  ship  by  subscription  for  the  government,  and  ob- 
tained the  command  of  her  for  captain  Brown.  His  advanced 
age  had  not  impaired  his  skill,  nor  deprived  him  of  his  zeal 
and  activity.  While  he  commanded  the  Merrimac  he  was  as 
enterprising  and  successful  as  formerly;  and  he  followed  till 
his  death  his  accustomed  avocation.  He  died  in  December, 
1803,  aged  sixty-two  years. 

BROWN,  Robert,  was  born  in  Northampton  county, 
Pennsylvania.  At  the  commencement  of  the  revolutionary 
war,  he  was  appointed  an  officer  in  that  corps  of  Pennsylvania 
troops,  called  the  "flying  camp,"  and  was  taken  prisoner  on 
Long  Island.  It  has  been  frequently  asserted,  and  with  much 
confidence,  that  part  of  the  time  he  was  a  prisoner,  he  work- 
ed at  his  trade,  (a  blacksmith)  and  the  proceeds  of  his  wages 
he  distributed  among  his  fellow  prisoners.  This  was  highly 
honorable  and  praiseworthy.  He  was  a  firm  and  inflexible 
patriot,  and  universally  respected.  The  urbanity  and  repub- 
lican plainness  of  his  manners;  the  uprightness  and  probity 
of  his  character,  secured  him  the  esteem  of  all  who  knew  him. 
He  served  his  country  in  several  civil  stations,  and  was  ele- 
vated to  the  rank  of  a  brigadier  general  in  the  militia  of  Penn- 
sylvania. He  was  a  member  of  the  Senate  of  Pennsylvania 
for  some  time;  and  also  a  member  of  the  house  of  represen- 
tatives of  the  congress  of  the  United  States,  for  sixteen  or 
seventeen  successive  years.  He  was  one  of  those  members  of 
the  house  of  representatives,  who,  in  1812,  voted  for  the  de- 
claration of  wrar  against  Great  Britain  ;  and  he  lived  long 
enough  to  see  that  war  gloriously  terminated,  and  its  effects 
proved  most  salutary  to  the  happiness  and  prosperity  of  the 
United  States.  Through  all  the  vicissitudes  of  party,  he  re- 
mained a  steadfast  and  ardent  friend  to  the  rights  and  liber- 
ties of  his  country,  and  firm  and  unwavering  in  his  political 
opinions. 

General  Brown  died  at  his  residence,  in  Allen  township, 
Northampton  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  26th  of  February, 
1823,  in  the  seventy-ninth  year  of  his  age. 


U  BRYAN. 

BRYAN,  George,  was  a  native  of  the  city  of  Dublin,  Ivt 
Ireland:  the  eldest  son  of  an  ancient  and  respectable  family. 
He  received  a  classical  and  liberal  education,  and  very  early 
imbibed  the  principles  of  liberty.  Even  before  he  had  closed 
his  studies,  he  entered  with  an  ardent  zeal  the  ranks  of  oppo- 
sition to  the  tyrannic  acts  of  Great  Britain,  against  that  much 
abused  country.  When  arrived  at  the  age  of  twenty-one,  his 
father  gave  him  his  portion,  being  a  sufficiency  for  a  handsome 
establishment,  in  the  wholesale  mercantile  business.  He  im- 
mediately embarked  for  Philadelphia,  where  he  remained  un- 
til his  death.  Although  by  profession  a  merchant*  Mr  Bry- 
an's active,  patriotic,  and  highly  improved  mind,  led  him  to  a 
close  observation  of,  and  inquiry  into,  every  thing  in  his  adop- 
ted country;  its  government,  laws,  and  resources  for  improve- 
ment. 

After  several  years  of  extensive  business  it  pleased  the  wise 
disposer  of  events  to  defeat  the  plans  of  Mr.  Bryan,  and  he  was, 
by  the  occurrences  of  severe  losses,  reduced  to  comparative 
poverty.  But  he  was  rich  in  intellectual  resources.  In  them 
lie  had  a  friend,  valuable  to  himself  and  family,  but  much  more 
so,  as  the  history  of  his  life  shews,  to  his  country.  His  educa- 
tion fitted  him  for  any  thing  that  extensive  knowledge  could 
accomplish. 

Previous  to  the  revolution,  Mr.  Bryan  Avas  introduced  into 
various  public  employments.  He  was  a  delegate  to  the  con- 
gress of  1775,  for  the  purpose  of  petitioning  and  remonstrat- 
ing against  the  arbitrary  measures  of  Great  Britain.  After 
the  declaration  of  independence,  he  was  vice  president  of  the 
state  of  Pennsylvania,  and  upon  the  death  of  president  Whar- 
ton, in  May,  1778,  he  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  govern- 
ment. 

In  1779,  Mr.  Bryan  was  elected  a  member  of  the  legisla- 
ture, of  which  he  was  one  of  the  most  intelligent,  active  and 
elRcient.  Here,  amidst  the  tumult  of  war  and  invasion;  sur- 
rounded with  the  tory  and  disaffected,  when  every  one  was 
trembling  for  himself,  his  mind  was  occupied  by  the  claims  of 
humanity  and  charity.  He,  at  this  time,  planned  and  comple- 
ted an  act  for  the  gradual  abolition  of  slavery,  which  will 
remain  an  imperishable  monument  to  his  memory.  These  were 
the  days  "that  tried  men's  soiils;"  and  it  was  in  those  days 
that  the  patriotism,  wisdom  and  firmness,  of  Mr.  Bryan,  were 
conspicuously  efficient  and  useful.  He  furnished  evidence, 
that  in  opposing  the  exactions  of  foreign  power,  he  was  oppos- 
ing tyranny,  ami  was  really  attached  to  the  cause  of  liberty. 
After  this  period,  Mr.  Bryan  was  a  judge  of  the  Supreme 
Court,  in  which  station  he  continued  until  his  death.  In  1784, 
he  was  elected  one  of  the  council  of  censors,  and  was  one  of 
its  most  active  members. 


BURD.  73 

Besides  the  offices  mentioned,  judge  Bryan  filled  a  num- 
ber of  public,  titulary,  and  charitable  employments.     Form- 
cd  for  a  close  application  to  study,  animated  with  an  ardent 
thirst  for  knowledge,  and  blessed  with  a  memory  of  wonder- 
ful  tenacity,  and  a  clear,  penetrating,  and  decisive  judgment, 
he  availed  himself  of  the  labours  and  acquisitions  of  others, 
and  brought  honour  to  the  stations  which  he  occupied.     To 
his  other  attainments,  he  added  the  virtues  of  the  christian. 
He  was  distinguished  by  benevolence  and  sympathy  with  the 
distressed;  by  an  unaffected  humility  and  modesty;  by  his 
readiness  to  forgive  injuries,  and  by  his  inflexibleintegrity. 
He  was  superior  to  the  powers  and  blandishments  of  the  world. 
Thus  eminently  qualified  for  the  various  public  offices  in  which 
he  was  placed,  he  was  humble  and  faithful  in  discharging 
their  duties,  and  he  filled  them  with  dignity  and  reputation 
in  the  worst  of  times,  and  in  the  midst  of  a  torrent  of  unmer- 
ited obloquy,  abuse  and  opposition.     When,  on  a  certain  oc- 
casion, some  of  his  intimate  friends  desired  him  to  permit 
them  to  answer  a  particular  charge  made  against  him,  he  re- 
plied,  "no,  my  friends,   s«ch  things  rankle  not  in  my  breast; 
my  character  must  stand  on  my  general  conduct."  Such  was  his 
disinterestedness  and  his  zeal  for  the  public  cause,   and  for 
the  good  of  others,  that  his  own  interest  seemed  to  have  been 
wholly  overlooked.     In  the  administration  of  justice  he  was 
impartial  and  incorruptible.     He  was  an  ornament  to  the  pro- 
fession of  Christianity,  which  he  made  the  delight  of  his  con- 
nexions,  and  a  public  blessing  to  the  state.      By  his  death, 
religion  lost  an  amiable  example,  and  science  a  steady  friend. 
BURD,  Benjamin,  joined  the  standard  of  his  country  at 
an  early  age.      In  July,  1775,  (in  his  twenty-first  year,)  he 
joined  colonel  Thompson's  regiment  of  riflemen,  as  a  volunteer, 
and  arrived  at  Boston  about  the  1st  of  August  following.     In 
the  month  of  October,  he  was  appointed  a  lieutenant,  in  which 
command  he  was  in  various  skirmishes  with  the  British  near 
Boston.     From  thence  he  was  ordered  to  New  York,  and  was 
immediately  afterwards  in  the  battle  of  Long  Island.     In  1777, 
he  was  appointed  a  captain  in  the  4th  Pennsylvania  Regiment, 
in  which  he  was  in  the  battles  of  Trenton  and  Princeton.     Af- 
terwards he  commanded  the  left  platoon  of  General  Wayne's 
division  at  the  battle  of  Brandywine.     He  was  also  at  the  Pa- 
oli,  and  in  the  battle  of  Germantown,  he  acted  as  Major.     Af- 
ter the  battle  of  Monmouth,  in  which  he  was  also  conspicuously 
engaged,  he  was  ordered  to  join  the  detachment  which  marched 
against  the  Indians,  and  burnt  their  towns  up  the  North  River, 
in  1779.     In  all  these  various  services  and  engagements,  he. 
was  distinguished  for  his  activity,  bravery,  and  enterprise. 
At  the  close  of  the  war  he  settled  down  upon  his  paternal  farm 

10 


M  BUTLER. 

at  Fort  Littleton,  where  be  was  long  known  and  esteemed  for 
his  hospitality,  urbanity,  and  gentlemanly  deportment.  He 
removed,  some  years  ago.  to  Bedford,  before  and  after  which 
removal  he  discharged  with  credit  the  duties  of  several  civil 
offices. 

General  Burd  died  at  Bedford,  Pennsylvania,  on  the  fifth, 
day  of  October,  1823,  in  the  seventieth  year  of  his  age.  Be- 
sides the  many  private  virtues  which  endeared  him  to  a  very 
large  circle  of  acquaintances,  his  public  character,  the  evi- 
dences of  his  patriotism,  but  especially  his  revolutionary  ser~. 
rices,  rendered  him  highly  respectable. 

BUTLER,  Richard,  a  brave  officer  during  the  war  of 
the  American  revolution,  sustained  the  office  of  colonel  at  the 
close  of  the  struggle  with  Great  Britain.  He  was  a  lieu- 
tenant colonel  of  Morgan's  rifle  corps,  and  distinguished  him- 
self in  a  remarkable  manner  on  many  occasions.  He  was  a 
bold  and  intrepid  soldier,  and  possessed,  in  a  high  degree,  the 
confidence  of  the  commander  in  chief. 

Lee,  in  his  memoirs  of  the  war  in  the  southern  department- 
gives  an  account  of  an  affair  between  the  British  and  Ameri- 
can troops,  while  a  detachment  of  the  American  army  under 
general  La  Fayette,  lay  near  Williamsburg,  Virginia,  the  head 
quarters  of  Lord  Cornwallis,  in  1781. 

"While  in  his  camp  before  Williamsburg,  the  British  gen- 
eral learnt  that  we  had  some  boats  and  stores  on  the  Chicka- 
hominy  river.  Hither  he  detached  lieutenant  colonel  Simcoe 
with  his  corps  and  the  yagers  to  destroy  them.  This  service 
was  promptly  performed;  but  the  American  general,  having 
discovered  from  his  exploring  parties,  the  march  of  Simcoe, 
detached  on  the  26th,  lieutenant  colonel  Butler,  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania line,  the  renowned  second  and  rival  of  Morgan  at 
Saratoga.  The  rifle  corps  under  the  majors  Call  and  Willis, 
and  the  cavalry,  which  did  not  in  the  whole  exceed  one  hun- 
dred and  twenty  effectives,  composed  Butler's  van.  Major 
M'Pherson,  of  Pennsylvania,  led  this  corps ;  and  having 
mounted  some  infantry  behind  the  remnant  of  Armand's  dra- 
goons, overtook  Sinscoe  on  his  return  near  Spencer's  planta- 
tion, six  or  seven  miles  above  Williamsburg.  The  sudden- 
.ness  of  M'Pherson' s  attack  threw  the  yagers  into  confusion; 
but  the  Queen's  rangers  quickly  deployed,  and  advanced  to 
the  support  of  the  yagers. 

•'Call  and  Willis  had  now  got  up  to  M'Pherson  with  their 
riflemen,  and  the  action  became  fierce.  Lieutenant  Lollar 
at  the  head  of  a  squadron  of  Simcoc's  hussars,  fell  on  Ar- 
mand's remnant,  and  drove  it  out  of  line,  making  lieutenant 
Brcso  and  some  privates  prisoners.  Following  his  blowT, 
LoUar  turned  upon  our  riflemen,  then  pressing  upon  the 


BUTLER.  73 

Queen's  rangers,  and  at  the  same  moment  captain  Ogilvie,  of. 
the  legion  cavalry,  who  had  been  sent  that  morning  from 
eamp  with  one  troop  for  the  collection  of  forage,  accidentally 
appeared  on  our  left  flank.  The  rifle  corps  fell  back  in  con- 
fusion upon  Butler,  drawn  up  in  the  rear  with  his  continentals. 
Satisfied  with  the  repulse  of  the  assailing  troops,  lieutenant 
colonel  Simcoe  began  to  retire:  nor  was  he  further  pressed  by 
Butler,  as  Cornwallis  had  moved  with  the  main  body  on  hear- 
ing the  first  fire,  to  shield  Simcoe,  La  Fayette  claimed  the 
advantage  in  this  renrontre.  and  states  his  enemy's  loss  to  be 
sixty  killed,  and  one  hundred  wounded:  whereas  lord  Corn- 
wallis acknowledges  the  loss  of  only  three  officers  and  thirty 
privates,  killed  and  wounded.  Among  the  former  was  lieu? 
tenant  Jones,  a  much  admired  young  officer. 

"What  was  our  loss  in  killed  and  wounded  does  not  appear 
in  the  report  of  La  Fayette;  but  three  officers  and  twenty- 
eight  privates  were  taken." 

When  General  St.  Clair  was  appointed  to  the  command  of 
the  army  against  the  western  Indians,  colonel  Butler  was 
selected  as  second  in  command.  In  the  battle  of  Novem- 
ber 4,  1791,  which  terminated  in  the  defeat  of  St.  Clair, 
he  commanded  the  right  wing  of  the  army,  with  the  rank 
of  general.  "It  was  on  this  occasion,  that  the  intre- 
pid Butler  closed  his  military  career  in  death;  his  coolness 
preserved,  and  courage  remaining  unshaken,  till  the  last  mo- 
ment of  existence.  While  enabled  to  keep  the  field,  his  exer- 
tions were  truly  heroic.  He  repeatedly  led  his  men  to  the 
charge,  and  with  slaughter  drove  the  enemy  before  him;  but 
being  at  length  compelled  to  retire  to  his  tent,  from  the  num- 
ber and  severity  of  his  wounds,  he  was  receiving  surgical  aid, 
when  a  ferocious  warrior  rushing  into  his  presence,  gave  him 
a  mortal  blow  with  his  tomahawk.  But  even  then  the  gal- 
lant soldier  died  not  unrevenged.  He  had  anticipated  this 
catastrophe,  and  discharging  a  pistol  which  he  held  in  his 
hand,  lodged  its  contents  into  the  breast  of  his  enemy,  who 
uttering  a  hideous  yell,  fell  by  his  side  and  expired!" 

BUTLER,  Thomas,  a  brave  officer  during  the  revolution* 
ary  war  with  Great  Britain,  was  a  brother  of  the  preceding. 
Three  other  brothers  fought  in  the  service  of  their  country. 
In  the  year  1776,  he  was  a  student  at  law  with  the  eminent 
judge  Wilson  of  Philadelphia;  but  early  in  that  year  he  quit- 
ted his  studies,  and  joined  the  army  as  a  subaltern.  He  soon 
obtained  the  command  of  a  company,  in  which  grade  he  con- 
tinued till  the  close  of  the  revolutionary  contest.  He  was  in 
almost  every  action  that  was  fought  in  the  middle  states  du- 
ring the  war.  At  the-  battle  of  Brandy  wine,  September  11, 
1777,  he  received  the  thanks  of  general  Washington  on  the 


7G  BUTLER. 

field  of  battle,  through  his  aid  dc  camp,  general  Hamilton, 
for  his  intrepid  conduct  in  rallying  a  detachment  of  retreat- 
ing troops,  and  giving  the  enemy  a  severe  fire.  At  the  battle 
of  Monmouth.  June  28,  1778,  he  received  the  thanks  of  gen- 
eral Wayne  for  defending  a  defile  in  the  face  of  a  heavy  fire 
from  the  enemy,  while  colonel  Richard  Butler's  regiment  made 
good  their  retreat. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  he  retired  into  private  life  as  a  far- 
mer, and  continued  in  the  enjoyment  of  rural  and  domestic 
happiness,  till  the  year  1791,  when  he  again  took  the  field  to 
meet  a  savage  foe.  that  menaced  our  western  frontier.     Ho 
commanded  a  battalion  in  the  disastrous  battle  of  November 
4,  in  which  his  brother  fell.     Orders  were  given  by  general 
St.  Clair  to   charge  with   the  bayonet,  and   major   Butler, 
though  his  leg  had  been  broken  by  a  ball,  yet  on  horseback 
led  his  battalion  to  the  charge.     It  was  with  difficulty  that 
his  surviving  brother,  captain  Edward  Butler,  removed  him 
from  the  field.     In  1792,  he  was  continued  on  the  establish- 
ment as  a  major,  and  in  1794,  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank 
of  lieutenant  colonel  commandant  of  the  fourth  sub-legion. 
He  commanded,  in  this  year,  Fort  Fayette  at  Pittsburg,  ami 
prevented  the  deluded  insurgents  from  taking  it  more  by  his 
name,  than  by  his  forces,  for  he  had  but  few  troops.  In  1797,. 
he  was  named  by  president  Washington  as  the  officer  best  cal- 
culated to  command  in  the  state  of  Tennessee,  when  it  was 
necessary  to  dispossess  some  citizens,  who  had  imprudently 
settled  on  the  Indian  lands.  Accordingly,  in  May  he  marched 
with  his  regiment  from  the  Miami  on  the  Ohio,  and  by  that 
prudence  and  good  sense,  which  marked  his  character  through 
life,  he  in  a  short  time  removed  all  difficulties.  While  in  Ten- 
nessee, he  made  several  treaties  with  the  Indians.     In  1802, 
at  the  reduction  of  the  army,  he  was  continued  as  colonel  of  a 
regiment  on  the  peace  establishment. 

The  close  of  his  life  was  embittered  by  trouble.  In  1803,, 
he  was  arrested  by  the  commanding  general  at  Fort  Adams, 
on  the  Mississippi,  and  sent  to  Maryland,  where  he  was 
tried  by  a  court  martial,  and  acquitted  of  all  the  charges,  ex- 
cept that  of  wearing  his  hair.  He  was  then  ordered  to  New 
Orleans,  where  he  arrived  to  take  the  command  of  the  troops, 
October  20.  He  was  again  arrested  the  next  month,  but  the 
court  did  not  meet  till  July  of  next  year,  and  their  decision  is 
not  known.  Colonel  Butler  died  September  7,  1805,  aged 
fifty-one  years. 

BUTLER,  Zebuxon,  was  born  at  Lyme,  in  the  state  of 
Connecticut,  in  the  year  1731.  He  entered  early  in  life  into 
the  service  of  his  country  in  the  provincial  troops  of  his  na- 
tive state.    In  this  service  he  remained,  actively  employed. 


BUTLER.  77 

ftr  several  years,  and  rose  from  the  rank  of  an  ensign  to  the 
command  of  a  company.  He  partook  largeh  in  the  transac- 
tions of  the  war  between  the  English  and  French,  on  the 
frontiers  of  Canada-,  particularly  in  the  campaign  of  1758,  at 
fort  Edward,  Lake  George,  Ticonderoga,  and  Crown  Point.  In 
1761,  he  was  again  at  Crown  Point,  and  at  that  time  held  the 
rank  of  captain.  The  history  ofthese  transactions  is  well  known, 
and  need  not  here  be  repeated.  In  June,  1762,  captain  But- 
ler sailed  with  his  company,  and  the  other  provincial  troops, 
to  reinforce  the  British,  then  besieging  the  Havanua:  and  on 
the  20th  of  July,  the  vessel  in  which  he  sailed  was  shipwreck- 
ed on  a  reef  of  rocks  on  the  island  of  Cuba.  They  were  for- 
tunate enough  to  escape  to  the  shore,  where  they  remained 
nine  days,  and  were  (hen  taken  on  board  a  man  of  war.  Five 
other  ships  were  discovered  also  shipwrecked  on  the  same 
side  of  the  island,  and  after  waiting  until  these  were  relieved, 
they  again  steered  for  Havanna.  They  arrived,  and  anchor- 
ed with  the  rest  of  the  fleet  on  the  9th  of  August,  and  the 
next  day  landed  and  encamped.  The  sufferings  and  the  suc- 
cess of  the  British  at  the  siege  of  Havanna,  are  matters  of 
history.  Captain  Butler  shared  in  the  dangers  of  the  re- 
mainder of  the  siege,  as  well  as  in  the  honours  and  profits  of 
the  surrender,  which  took  place  shortly  after  the  arrival  of 
the  reinforcements. 

On  the  2 1st  of  October,  1762,  captain  Butler  sailed  out  of 
the  harbour  of  Havanna  on  his  return,  on  board  the  Royal 
Duke  transport.  On  the  7th  of  November,  in  latitude  35,  the 
ship  sprung  a  leak,  and  it  was  by  the  greatest  exertions 
for  three  days,  that  she  could  be  kept  afloat,  until  the  men 
were  transferred  to  other  ships.  When  this  was  accomplish- 
ed, they  left  the  Royal  Duke  to  sink.  He  arrived  at  JNcw 
York  on  the  21st  day  of  December. 

When  the  aggressions  of  the  British  ministry  compelled  their 
American  colonies  to  take  up  arms  in  defence  of  their  rights, 
captain  Butler  was  among  the  first  to  tender  his  services  to 
his  country.  His  offer  was  accepted,  and  he  was  appointed  a 
lieutenant  colonel  in  the  Connecticut  line.  In  this  capacity, 
he  was  with  the  army  in  the  campaign  of  1777,  in  New  Jersey, 
and  served  until  March,  1 779,  when  he  was  appointed  colonel  of 
the  second  Connecticut  regiment,  to  rank  as  such  from  the  13th 
of  March,  1778.  Some  time  previous  to  this,  colonel  Butler 
had  become  interested  in  lands  purchased  of  the  Indians  by 
the  Susquehanna  company,  lying  in  the  valley  of  Wyoming, 
and  adjacent  on  the  Susquehanna  river.  He  had  visited  the 
valley,  and  was  so  much  pleased  with  it,  that  he  determined  to 
remove  into  it.  This  flourishing  settlement  had  been  esta- 
blished by  the  people  of  Connecticut,  and  was  claimed  by 


78  BUTLER. 

them  by  virtue  of  their  charter  and  their  purchase  from  the 
Indians.  It  consisted  of  several  large  townships,  beautifully 
situated  on  both  sides  of  the  river;  and  that  part  of  it  which 
is  included  in  the  valley  of  Wyoming  was,  and  still  is,  one  of 
the  most  delightful  spots  in  our  country.  Its  situation,  soil, 
and  scenery,  cannot  be  surpassed.  It  had  long  been  the  fa- 
vorite abode  of  the  savages,  and  they  viewed,  with  peculiar 
animosity,  its  occupancy  by  strangers.  The  war  in  which 
the  colonists  were  engaged  with  the  mother  country,  and  the 
encouragement  and  protection  held  out  by  the  British  to  the 
Indians,  afforded  the  latter  a  good  opportunity  for  gratifying 
their  wicked  designs,  in  the  destruction  of  this  remote  settle- 
ment. This  they,  in  conjunction  with  the  British  and  tories, 
effectually  accomplished  in  July,  1778. 

This  settlement,   at  an  early  period  of  our  revolutionary 
struggle,  had  been  drained  of  its  effective  force,  by  furnishing 
two  companies,  of  ninety  men  each,  to  the  continental  army. 
Soon  after  the  departure  of  these  troops,  the  Indians  began  to 
assume  a  hostile  attitude,  and  their  conduct,  together  with  other 
suspicious  circumstances,  led  the  inhabitants  to  suspect  that 
some  mischief  was  meditating  againstthem,  though  they  did  not 
apprehend  an  immediate  attack.     For  their  better  security, 
several  stockade  forts  were  built  in  the  different  townships, 
and  a  company  of  rangers  was  raised,  under  the  command  of 
captain  Hewitt.     This  company  was  destined  to  remain  in 
the  valley  for  its  defence,  and  to  ascertain  by  its  scouts  the 
movements  of  the  Indians,  some  of  whom  were  located  at 
their  Indian  towns,  about  fifty  miles  up  the  Susquehanna.  In 
the  spring  of  1778,  the  settlers  fearing  an  attack,  sent  an  ex- 
press to  the  board  of  war,  to  represent  the  danger  in  which 
the  settlement  at  Wyoming  was   of  being  destroyed  by  the 
Indians  and  tories,  and  to  request  that  the  men  who  had  gone 
from  the  valley,  and  joined  the  continental  army,  might  be 
ordered  to  return,  and  assist  in  the  defence  of  their  homes. 
Their  request   was  granted,  and  a  company  commanded  by 
captain  Spalding,  composed  of  what  remained  of  the  two  com- 
panies before  mentioned  as  having  been  enlisted  at  Wyoming, 
set  out  for  the  valley,  and  were  within  two  days  march  of  it, 
on  the  day  of  the  fatal  battle.     About  the  first  of  June,  the 
same  year,  a  scouting  party  from  captain  Hewitt's  company 
discovered  a  number  of  canoes  with  Indians,  on  the  river  at 
some  distance  above  the  settlement,  and  a  few  days  after,  a 
party  of  Indians  attacked,  and  killed  or  made  prisoners,  of 
nine  or  ten  men,  while  at  work  on  the  bank  of  the  river, 
about  ten  miles  above  the  fort.  Many  circumstances  indicated 
the  approach  of  a  large  body  of  the  enemy.     Such  was  the 
situation  of  the  settlement  when  colonel  Butler  arrived.  This 


BUTLER.  79 

was  the  latter  part  of  June,  and  but  a  few  days  before  the 
battle.  On  the  1st  of  July,  the  militia  under  the  command 
of  colonel  Denison,  with  all  others  who  were  capable  and 
willing  to  bear  arms,  assembled  at  the  fort  in  Wilkesbarre, 
being  the  principal  fort.  They  made  an  excursion  against 
the  enemy,  killed  two  Indians,  and  found  the  bodies  of  the 
men  who  had  been  murdered  by  them.  When  they  returned, 
each  man  was  obliged  to  go  to  his  own  house  and  furnish  him- 
self with  provisions,  as  there  were  none  collected  at  the  fort. 
In  consequence  of  this  dispersion,  they  were  not  able  to  as- 
semble again  until  the  3d  of  July,  when  their  whole  strength 
amounted  to  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  men.  It  probably 
would  have  been  greater,  but  many  of  the  settlers  chose  rather 
to  remain  in  the  other  forts  for  the  purpose  of  defending  their 
families  and  property,  in  which  they  naturally  felt  a  greater 
interest  than  in  the  general  welfare.  Of  the  whole  force, 
consisting  of  the  militia,  captain  Hewitt's  company  of  ran- 
gers, and  a  few  volunteers,  including  several  officers  and  sol- 
diers of  the  regular  army,  who  happened  to  be  in  the  valley, 
colonel  Butler  was  requested  to  take  the  command.  The 
whole,  as  before  stated,  amounted  to  about  three  hundred  and 
iifty  men,  indifferently  furnished  with  arms  and  ammunition. 

As  the  enemy  had  entered  the  valley  at  the  upper  end.  and 
had  advanced  directly  towards  the  fort,  in  which  the  settlers 
were  assembled,  the  object  of  the  savages  was  supposed  to  be 
to  attack  them  in  the  fort.  The  enemy  had  taken  fort  "Win- 
termote,  and  one  other  small  fort,  and  burnt  them,  and  were 
burning  and  laying  waste  the  whole  country  in  their  progress. 
Colonel  Butler  held  a  consultation  with  the  officers,  and  it 
was  decided  to  be  best  to  go  out  and  intercept  the  progress  of 
the  enemy,  if  possible,  and  put  an  end  to  the  scene  of  devas- 
tation which  they  witnessed.  Being  perfectly  acquainted 
with  the  country,  they  marched  out  some  distance  from  the 
fort,  and  formed  on  the  bank  of  a  creek,  in  a  very  advanta- 
geous situation.  Here  they  lay  concealed,  expecting  that 
the  enemy  would  advance  to  attack  the  fort,  and  knowing  that 
if  they  did  so,  they  would  pass  the  place  where  the  Americans 
were  in  ambush.  In  this  situation  they  remained  near  half  the 
day,  but  no  enemy  appearing,  a  council  was  called  in  which 
there  was  a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  expediency  of  ad- 
vancing and  attacking  the  enemy,  or  of  returning  to  the  fort, 
there  to  defend  themselves  until  the  arrival  of  captain  Spald- 
ing's company,  which  was  daily  expected.  On  the  one  hand 
the  hope  of  succour,  and  their  uncertainty  as  to  the  strength 
of  the  enemy,  were  urged  as  reasons  for  returning,  and  on 
the  other,  the  destruction  of  the  whole  country,  which  would 
inevitably  follow  such  a  step,  together  with  the  insufficiency 


80  BUTLER. 

of  the  fort,  and  the  want  of  provisions  to  enable  them  to  stand 
a  siege,  were  powerful  reasons  in  favor  of  risking  an  immedi- 
ate battle.     Captain  Lazarus  Stewart,  a  brave  man,  famous 
in  the  country  for  his  exploits  among  the  Indians,  and  whose 
opinion  had  much  weight,  urged  an  immediate  attack;  declar- 
ing that  if  they  did  not  march  forward  that  day  and  attack 
the   enemy,    he  would  withdraw   with  his  whole  company. 
This  left  them  no  alternative,  and  they  advanced  accordingly. 
They  had  not  gone  above  a  mile,  before  the  advance  guard 
fired  upon  some  Indians  who  were  in  the  act  of  plundering  and 
burning  a  house.      These  fled  to  their  camp  and    gave  the 
alarm  that  the  Americans  were  approaching.     Fort  Winter- 
mote  was  at  this  time  the  head-quarters  of  the  enemy.     Their 
whole  force,  consisting  of  Indians.  British  and  tories,  was  as 
near  as  could  afterwards  be  ascertained,  about  one  thousand 
men,  and  was  commanded  by  colonel  John  Butler,  an  officer 
of  the  British  army,  and  an  Indian  chief  called  Brandt.  They 
were  apparently  unapprised  of  the  movements  of  the  Ameri- 
cans, until  the  return  to  the  main  body  of  those  Indians  who 
had  been  fired  on.     They  immediately  extended  themselves  in 
a  line  from  the  fort,  across  a  plain  covered  with  pine  trees  and 
under  brush.     When  formed,  the  right  of  the  enemy  rested 
on  a  swamp,  and  their  left  on  Fort  Wintermote.     The  Ameri- 
cans marched  to  the  attack,  also  in  a  line,  colonel  Zebulon 
Butler  leading  on  the  right  wing,   opposed  by  colonel  John 
Butler,  at  the  head  of  the  British  troops,  painted  to  resemble 
Indians:  colonel  Denison  was  on  the  left,   and  opposed  by 
Brandt  and  the  Indians.    In  this  position,  the  parties  engag- 
ed, and  each  supported  its  ground  for  some  time  with  much 
firmness.     At  length  the  Americans  on  the  right  had  the  ad- 
vantage of  the  fight,  having  forced  the  enemy's  left  wing  to 
retire  some  distance.     But  on  the  left  the  battle  soon  wore  a 
different  aspect.     The  Indians,  having  penetrated  the  swamp, 
were  discovered  attempting  to  get  into  their  rear.      Colonel 
Denison  immediately  gave  orders  for  the  left  to  fall  back  and 
meet  them  as  they  came  out  of  the  swamp.      This  order  was 
misunderstood,  and  some  of  the  men  or  officers  cried  out  "the 
colonel  orders  a  retreat."     The  left  immediately  gave  way, 
and  before  they  could  be  undeceived  as  to  the  object  of  the  or- 
der, the  line  broke,   and  the  Indians  rushed  on  with  hideous 
yells.     Colonel  Zebulon  Butler,  who  had  continued  on  horse- 
back throughout  the  day,  finding  that  the  right  wing  was  do- 
ing well,  rode  towards  the  left.      When  he  got  a  little  more 
than  halfway  down  the  line,  he  discovered  that  his  men  wer© 
retreating,  and  that  he  was  between  the  two  fires,   and  near 
the  advancing  line  of  the  enemy.     The  right  had  no  notice  of 
the  retreat,  until  the  firing  on  the  left  had  ceased,  and  the 


BUTLER,  Si 

jelling  of  the  savages  indicated  their  success.  This  wing, 
no  longer  able  to  maintain  its  ground,  was  forced  to  retreat, 
and  the  route  soon  became  general.  The  officers  were  prin- 
cipally killed  in  their  ineffectual  attempts  to  rally  the  men. 
The  defeat  was  total,  and  the  loss  in  killed  was  variously  es- 
timated at  from  two  to  three  hundred  of  the  settlers.  Of  cap- 
tain Hewitt's  company  but  fifteen  escaped.  The  loss  of  the 
enemy  was  also  considerable.  Colonels  Butler  and  Denison, 
although  much  exposed  to  the  enemy's  fire,  escaped.  Colo- 
nel Butler  collected  four  or  five  men  together  in  their  flight, 
directed  them  to  retain  their  arms,  and  when  any  of  the  In- 
dians, who  were  scattered  over  the  plain,  hunting  for  their  vic- 
tims, approached  the  little  party,  they  fired  upon  them,  and 
by  this  means  they  secured  their  retreat  to  Forty  Fort.  Ma- 
ny of  the  settlers,  at  the  commencement  of  their  flight,  had 
thrown  away  their  arms,  that  they  might  be  better  able  to 
escape.  But  this  was  of  no  avail,  for  the  Indians  overtook  and 
killed  them  with  their  tomahawks.  The  few  that  escaped, 
assembled  at  Forty  Fort:  but  the  inhabitants  were  so  much 
disheartened  by  their  defeat,  that  they  were  ready  to  submit 
upon  any  terms  that  might  be  offered.  The  enemy  refused  to 
treat  with  colonel  Butler,  or  to  give  quarter  to  any  continent- 
al officer  or  soldier.  Indeed,  it  had  been  determined,  that  if 
they  were  taken,  to  deliver  them  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians. 
Colonel  Butler  then  left  the  valley,  and  proceeded  to  a  place 
on  the  Lehigh,  called  Gnadenhutten.  On  the  4th  of  July,  col- 
onel Denison  and  colonel  John  Butler  entered  into  articles  of 
capitulation  for  the  surrender  of  the  settlement.  By  these 
articles  it  was  stipulated  among  other  things,  that  "the  lives 
of  the  inhabitants  should  be  preserved,"  and  that  they  should 
"occupy  their  farms  peaceably;"  that  "the  continental  stores 
should  be  given  up,"  and  "that  the  private  property  of  the 
inhabitants  should  be  preserved  entire  and  unhurt."  The  ene- 
my then  marched  into  the  fort:  but  the  conditions  of  the  capi- 
tulation were  entirely  disregarded  on  their  part.  The  Indians 
plundered  the  inhabitants  indiscriminately,  and  stripped  them 
even  of  such  of  their  wearing  apparel  as  they  chose  to  take. 
Complaint  was  made  to  colonel  John  Butler,  who  turned  his 
back  upon  them,  saying  he  could  not  controul  the  Indians, 
and  walked  out  of  the  fort.  The  people,  finding  that  they 
were  left  to  the  mercy  of  the  tories  and  savages,  fled  from  the 
valley,  and  made  the  best  of  their  way,  about  fifty  miles, 
through  the  wilderness,  to  the  nearest  settlement  of  their 
friends,  leaving  their  property  a  prey  to  the  enemy.  All  the 
houses  on  the  north  west  side  of  Susquehanna  were  plundered 
and  burnt.  They  afterwards  plundered  and  burnt  the  town  of 
"Wilkesbarre.    Having  accomplished  the  hellish  purpose  of 

11 


82  BUTLER. 

destruction  and  desolation,  the  main  body  of  the  enemy  re- 
turned to  Niagara,  taking  with  them  all  the  horses,  cattle, 
and  other  property  which  they  did  not  think  proper  to  destroy, 
leaving  behind  them  nothing  but  one  vast,  melancholy  scene 
of  universal  desolation. 

It  may  be  proper,  to  notice  the  generally  received  opinion, 
that  colonel  Zebulon  Butler  and  colonel  John  Butler  were 
cousins.  This  is  a  mistake.  Both  the  parties  denied  having 
any  knowledge  of  any  relationship  subsisting  between  them. 

From  Gnadenhutten colonel  Butler  wrote  to  the  board  of 
war,  giving  an  account  of  the  fatal  disaster  of  the  3d  of  July. 
He  then  went  to  Stroudsburg,  in  Northampton  county,  where 
lie  found  captain  Spalding's  company,  and  some  fugitives  from 
"Wyoming.  Colonel  Butler  was  ordered  to  collect  what  force 
he  could,  and  with  Spalding's  company  return  and  retake  pos- 
session of  the  country.  This  he  did  in  the  month  of  August 
following.  On  his  return  to  the  valley,  he  found  some  strag- 
gling Indians,  and  also  a  small  party  driving  off  cattle.  These 
were  soon  dispersed,  and  their  booty  taken  from  them.  He 
immediately  erected  a  fort  at  Wilkcsbarre,  and  established  a 
garrison.  By  orders  from  the  board  of  w  aiy  he  continued  in 
the  command  of  the  place  until  the  fall  of  1780,  during  which 
time  the  garrison  and  the  inhabitants  generally  suffered  from 
the  incursions  of  the  Indians.  Several  lives  were  lost,  and 
they  killed  a  number  of  the  Indians,  though  no  general  battle 
w  as  fought.  General  Sullivan's  expedition  checked  for  a  while 
their  ravages.  He  arrived  in  Wyoming  in  the  spring  of  1779, 
and  as  soon  as  proper  arrangements  could  he  made,  he  march- 
ed into  the  country  of  the  Indians,  leaving  colonel  Butler  in 
the  command  at  Wyoming. 

By  orders  from  general  Washington,  dated,  "Head  Quar- 
ters, New  Windsor,  December  29th,  1780,"  colonel  Butler 
was  directed  to  deliver  the  post  at  Wyoming  to  captain  Alex- 
ander Mitchell,  and  to  march  with  the  men  under  his  command 
and  join  the  army.  This  was  stated  by  general  Washington 
to  be  in  consequence  of  "  Congress  having,  in  order  to  re- 
move all  cause  of  jealousy  and  discontent  between  the  states 
of  Pennsylvania  and  Connecticut,  directed  me  to  withdraw  the 
present  garrison  of  Wyoming,  and  replace  them  with  troops 
from  the  continental  army,  not  belonging  to  the  line  of  Penn- 
sylvania or  Connecticut,  or  citizens  of  either  of  said  states." 
In  obedience  to  these  orders,  he  repaired  to  head  quarters, 
and  remained  with  the  army  during  the  rest  of  the  war. 

In  the  unhappy  dispute  between  the  citizens  of  Connecticut 
and  Pennsylvania,  arising  out  of  the  claims  which  the  latter 
advanced  to  the  lands  on  the  Susquehanna,  upon  which  the 
former  had  settled,  colonel  Butler  took  an  active  part  in  fa- 


CADWALADER.  83 

vonr  of  the  Connecticut  settlers.  He  considered  them  as  act- 
ing on  the  defensive,  and  the  others  as  the  aggressors.  Open 
hostilities  commenced  between  the  parties  as  early  as  1769, 
and  were  continued  unti  1  after  the  revolutionary  war.  The  New- 
England  people  were  twice  driven  from  their  settlements, 
though  they  returned  immediately  with  reinforcements,  and 
repossessed  themselves  of  the  country.  Many  lives  were  lost 
on  both  sides,  and  innumerable  hardships  endured,  during  this 
unfortunate  contest.  No  very  general  engagement  ever  took 
place  between  the  parties.  The  principal  array  of  forces  which 
was  at  any  time  made  against  each  other,  was  at  the  defeat 
of  captain  Plunket.  in  1775.  This  officer  had  marched  from 
Northumberland,  for  the  purpose  of  dispossessing  the  settlers 
at  Wyoming,  and  taking  possession  of  it  themselves  in  the 
name  of  the  Pennsylvania  claimants.  Colonel  Butler  with  a 
party  of  settlers  met  them  at  the  lower  end  of  the  valley,  de- 
feated them,  and  drove  them  back.  The  decree  of  Trenton, 
as  it  is  called,  put  an  end  to  hostilities,  by  determining,  that 
the  jurisdiction  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania  extended  over  the 
disputed  territory.  To  this  determination  colonel  Butler, 
with  most  of  the  settlers,  yielded.  After  the  war  he  continued 
to  reside  at  Wyoming,  and  received  appointments  under  the 
state  of  Pennsylvania,  particularly  the  situation  of  lieutenant 
of  the  county.  He  died  at  Wilkesbarre,  on  the  28th  of  July, 
1795,  in  the  sixty-fourth  year  of  his  age. 

As  numerous  and  very  incorrect  accounts  of  the  u  Massacre 
of  Wyoming,"  (as  the  foregoing  battle  has  generally,  and  with 
great  truth,  been  called,)  have  been  published  and  incorporated 
in  the  histories  of  the  times,  the  compiler  is  induced  to  state,  that 
the  foregoing  sketch  was  politely  furnished  by  a  descendant 
of  colonel  Butler,  residing  in  the  valley,  and  may  be  relied 
on  as  a  correct  and  faithful  narrative  of  the  transactions  of 
that  fatal  and  disastrous  day. 

CADWALADER,  John,  born  in  Philadelphia,  was  dis- 
tinguished for  his  zealous  and  inflexible  adherence  to  the 
cause  of  America,  and  for  his  intrepidity  as  a  soldier,  in  up- 
holding that  cause  during  the  most  discouraging  periods  of 
danger  and  misfortune.  At  the  dawn  of  the  revolution,  he 
commanded  a  corps  of  volunteers,  designated  as  "the  silk 
stocking  company,"  of  which  nearly  all  the  members  were 
appointed  to  commissions  in  the  line  of  the  army.  He  after- 
wards  was  appointed  colonel  of  one  of  the  city  battalions:  and, 
being  thence  promoted  to  the  rank  of  brigadier  general,  was 
intrusted  with  the  command  of  the  Pennsylvania  troops,  in 
the  important  operations  of  the  winter  campaign  of  1776  and 
1777.  He  acted  with  his  command,  and  as  a  volunteer,  in  the  ac 
lions  of  Princeton,  Brandy  wine,  Germantown  and  Monmouth., 


64  CADWALADER 

and  other  occasions:  and  received  the  thanks  of general  Wash* 
ington,  whose  confidence  and  regard  lie  uniformly  enjoyed. 

When  general  Washington  determined  to  attack  the  Bri- 
tish and  Hessian  troops  at  Trenton,  he  assigned  him  the  com- 
mand of  a  division.     In  the  evening  of  Christmas  day,  1776, 
general  Washington  made  arrangements  to  pass  the  river  De- 
laware, in  three  divisions:  one,  consisting  of  500  men,  under 
general  Cadwaladcr,   from  the  vicinity  of  Bristol:  a  second 
division,  under  the  command  of  general  Irvine,  was  to  cross 
at  Trenton  ferry,  and  secure  the  bridge  leading  to  the  town. 
Generals  Cadwaladcr  and  Irvine  made  every  exertion  to  get 
over,  but  the  quantity  of  ice  was  so  great,  that  they  could  not 
effect  their  purpose.  *  The  third,  and  main  body,  which  was 
commanded  by  general  Washington,  crossed  at  M'Konkey's 
ferry:  but  the*  ice  in  the  river  retarded  their  passage  so  long, 
that  it  was  three  o'clock  in  the  morning  before  the  artillery 
could  be  got  over.     On  their  landing  in  Jersey,  they  were 
formed  into  two  divisions,  commanded  by  generals  Sullivan 
and  Greene,   who  had  under  their  command  brigadiers  lord 
Sterling,  Mercer,  and  St.  Clair:  one  of  these  divisions  was 
ordered  to  proceed  on  the  lower,  or  river  road,  the  other  on 
the  upper  or  Pennington  road.     Colonel   Stark,  with  some 
Jight  troops,  was  also  directed  to  advance  near  to  the  river, 
and  to  possess  himself  of  that  part  of  the  town,  which  is  be- 
yond the  bridge.     The  divisions  having  nearly  the  same  dis- 
tance to  march,  were  ordered  immediately  on  forcing  the  out- 
guards,  to  push  directly  into  Trenton,  that  they  might  charge 
the  enemy  before  they  had  time  to  form.  Though  they  march- 
ed different  roads,  yet  they  arrived  at  the  enemy's  advanced 
post  within  three  minutes  of  each  other.     The  out-guards  of 
the  Hessian  troops  at  Trenton  soon  fell  back,    but  kept  up  a 
constant  retreating  fire.  Their  main  body  being  hard  pressed 
by  the  Americans,  who  had   already  got  possession  of  half 
their  artillery,  attempted  to  file  off  by  a  road  leading  towards 
Princeton,  but  were  checked  by  a  body  of  troops  thrown  in 
their  way,     Finding  they  were  surrounded,  they  laid  down 
their  arms.     The  number  which  submitted,  was  twenty-three 
officers,  and  eight  hundred  and  eighty-six  men.      Between 
thirty  and  forty  of  the  Hessians  were  killed  and  wounded. 
Colonel  Rahl  was  among  the  former,  and  seven  of  his  officers 
among  the  latter.      Captain  Washington,  of  the  Virginia 
troops,  and  five  or  six  of  the  Americans  were  wounded.  Two 
were  killed,  and  two  or  three  were  frozen  to  death.     The  de- 
tachment in  Trenton,   consisting  of  the  regiments  of  Rahl, 
Losberg  and  Kniphausen,   amounting  in  the  whole  to  about 
fifteen  hundred  men,  and  a  troop  of  British  light  horse.     All 
£hese  were  killed  or  captured,  except  about  six  hundred,  who 
escaped  by  the  road  leading  to  Bordentown. 


CADWALADER.  85 

The  British  had  a  strong  battalion  of  light  infantry  at 
Princeton,  and  a  force  yet  remaining  near  the  Delaware,  su- 
perior to  the  American  army.  General  Washington,  there- 
fore, in  the  evening  of  the  same  day,  thought  it  most  prudent 
te  recross  into  Pennsylvania,  with  his  prisoners. 

The  next  day  after  Washington's  return,  supposing  him 
still  on  the  Jersey  side,  general  Cadwalader  crossed  with 
about  fifteen  hundred  men,  and  pursued  the  panic  struck  ene- 
my to  Burlington, 

The  merits  and  services  of  general  Cadwalader,  induced 
the  congress,  early  in  1778,  to  compliment  him  by  an  unani- 
mous vote,  with  the  appointment  of  general  of  cavalry;  which 
appointment  he  declined,  under  an  impression  that  he  could 
be  more  useful  to  his  country  in  the  sphere  in  which  he  had 
been  acting. 

The  victory  at  Trenton  had  a  most  happy  effect,  and  gener- 
al Washington,  finding  himself  at  the  head  of  a  force  with 
which  it  was  practicable  to  attempt  something,  resolved  not. 
to  remain  inactive.  Inferior  as  he  was  to  the  enemy,  he  yet 
determined  to  employ  the  winter  in  endeavoring  to  recover  the 
whole,  or  a  great  part  of  Jersey.  The  enemy  were  now  col- 
lected in  force  at  Princeton,  under  lord  Cornwallis.  where 
some  works  were  thrown  up.  Generals  Mifflin  and  Cadwal- 
ader, who  lay  at  Bordentown  and  Crosswicks,  with  three 
Thousand  six  hundred  militia,  were  ordered  to  march  up  in 
the  night  of  the  first  January,  1777,  to  join  the  commander  in 
chief,  whose  whole  force,  with  this  addition,  did  not  exceed 
five  thousand  men.  He  formed  the  bold  and  judicious  design 
of  abandoning  the  Delaware,  and  marching  silently  in  the 
night  by  a  circuitous  route,  along  the  left  flank  of  the  enemy, 
into  their  rear  at  Princeton,  where  he  knew  they  could  not  be 
very  strong.  He  readied  Princeton  early  in  the  morning  of 
the  third,  and  would  have  completely  surprised  the  British, 
had  not  a  party,  which  was  on  their  way  to  Trenton,  descri- 
ed his  troops,  when  they  were  about  two  miles  distant,  and 
sent  back  couriers  to  alarm  their  fellow  soldiers  in  the  rear. 
A  sharp  action  ensued,  which  however  was  not  of  long  dura- 
tion. The  militia,  of  which  the  advanced  party  was  princi- 
pally composed,  soon  gave  way.  General  Mercer  was  mor- 
tally wounded  while  exerting  himself  to  rally  his  broken 
troops.  The  moment  was  critical.  General  Washington 
pushed  forward,  and  placed  himself  between  his  own  men  and 
the  British,  with  his  horse's  head  fronting  the  latter.  The 
Americans,  encouraged  by  his  example,  made  a  stand,  and  re- 
turned the  British  fire.  A  party  of  the  British  fled  into  the 
college,  and  were  attacked  with  field  pieces.  After  receiv- 
ing a  few7  discharges  they  came  eut  and  surrendered  them 


$6  CADWALADER. 

selves  prisoners  of  war.  In  this  action  upwards  of  one  hun- 
dred of  the  enemy  were  killed  on  the  spot,  and  three  hundred 
taken  prisoners.  The  Americans  lost  only  a  few,  hut  colo- 
nels Haslet  and  Potter,  two  brave  and  valuable  officers,  from 
Delaware  and  Pennsylvania,  were  among  the  slain. 

General  Cadwalader's  celebrated  duel  w  ith  general  Con- 
way, arose  from  his  spirited  opposition  to  the  intrigues  of  that 
officer,  to  undermine  the  standing  of  the  commander  in  chief. 
The  anecdote  relative  to  the  duel,  in  "  Anecdotes  of  the  Rev- 
olutionary War,"  by  Alexander  Garden,  of  Charleston,  South 
Carolina,  is  not  entirely  correct. 

It  will  be  recollected  that  general  Conway  was  dangerous- 
ly wounded,  and  while  his  recovery  was  doubtful,  he  address- 
ed a  letter  to  general  Washington,  acknowledging  that  he  had 
done  him  injustice. 

Among  many  obituary  notices  of  general  Cadwalader,  this 

patriotic  and  exemplary  man,   the  following  outline  of  his 

character,  in  the  form  of  a  monumental  inscription,  is  selected 

from  a  Baltimore  paper,  of  the  24th  of  February,  1786: 

In  memory  of 

General  John  Cadwalader, 

Who  died,  February  the  10th,  1786, 

At  Shrewsbury,  his  seat  in  Kent  county, 

In  the  44th  year  of  his  age. 

This  amiable  and  worthy  Gentleman, 

Had  served  his  Country 

With  reputation, 

In  the  character  of  a 

Soldier  and  Statesman: 

He  took  an  active  part,  and  had  a  principal 

Share,  in  the  late  Revolution, 

And,  although  he  was  zealous  in  the  cause 

Of  American  Freedom, 

His  conduct  was  not  mark'd  with  the 

Least  degree  of  malevolence,  or  party  spirit. 

Those  who  honestly  differed  from  him 

in  opinion, 

He  always  treated  with  singular  tenderness, 

In  sociability,  and  cheerfulness  of  temper, 

Honesty  and  goodness  of  heart, 

Independence  of  spirit,  and  warmth  of 

Friendship, 

He  had  no  superior, 

And  few,  very  few  equals: 

Never  did  any  man  die  more  lamented 

By  his  Friends,  and  Neighbours ; 

To  his  family  and  near  relations, 

His  death  was  a  stroke  still  more  severe. 


CASWELL— CHAMPE.  87 

CASWELL,  Richard,  governor  of  North  Carolina,  re- 
ceived an  education  suitable  for  the  bar,  and  was  uniformly 
distinguished  as  a  friend  to  the  rights  of  mankind.  He  pos- 
sessed a  sensibility,  which  impelled  him  to  relieve  the  dis- 
tress, which  he  witnessed.  Whenever  oppressed  indigence 
called  for  his  professional  assistance,  he  afforded  it  without 
the  hope  of  any  other  reward,  than  the  consciousness  of  hav- 
ing exerted  himself  to  promote  the  happiness  of  a  fellow  man. 

Warmly  attached  to  the  liberties  of  his  country,  he  was 
appointed  a  member  of  the  first  congress,  in  1774,  and  he 
early  took  arms  in  resistance  to  the  arbitrary  claims  of  Great 
Britain.  He  was  at  the  head  of  a  regiment  in  1776,  when  it 
became  necessary  to  oppose  a  body  of  loyalists  composed  of  a 
number  of  the  ignorant  and  disorderly  inhabitants  of  the  fron- 
tiers, styling  themselves  regulators,  and  of  emigrants  from 
the  highlands  of  Scotland.  This  party  of  about  fifteen  hun- 
dred men  was  collected  in  the  middle  of  February,  under  ge- 
neral M'Donald.  He  was  pursued  by  general  Moore,  and  on 
the  27th  he  found  himself  under  the  necessity  of  engaging  co- 
lonel Caswell,  who  was  intrenched  with  about  a  thousand 
minute  men  and  militia,  directly  in  his  front,  at  a  place  called 
Moore's  creek-bridge.  This  was  about  sixteen  miles  distant 
from  Wilmington,  where  M'Donald  hoped  to  join  general 
Clinton.  But  he  was  defeated  and  taken  prisoner  by  Cas- 
well, with  the  loss  of  seventy  men  in  killed  and  wounded,  and 
fifteen  hundred  excellent  rifles.  This  victory  was  of  eminent 
service  to  the  American  cause  in  North  Carolina. 

Mr.  Caswell  was  president  of  the  convention,  which  formed 
the  constitution  of  North  Carolina,  in  December,  1776,  un- 
der which  constitution  he  was  governor  from  April,  1777,  to 
the  year  1780,  and  from  1785,  to  1787.  At  the  time  of  his 
death  he  was  president  of  the  senate,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  he  had  held  the  commission  of  major  general.  He  died 
at  Fayetteville,  November  20,  1789. 

In  his  character  the  public  and  domestic  virtues  were 
united.  Ever  honoured  with  some  marks  of  the  approbation 
of  his  fellow  citizens,  he  watched  with  unremitted  attention 
over  the  welfare  of  the  community,  and  anxiously  endeavour- 
ed also  to  promote  the  felicity  of  its  members  in  their  sepa- 
rate interests.  While  the  complacency  of  his  disposition  and 
his  equal  temper  peculiarly  endeared  him  to  his  friends,  they 
commanded  respect  even  from  his  enemies. 

CHAMPE,  John,  was  a  native  of  Loudon  county,  Virgi- 
nia. In  the  year  1776,  at  the  age  of  twenty-four,  he  entered 
the  revolutionary  army,  and  was  appointed  a  sergeant  major 
in  Lee's  legion  of  cavalry.  After  the  detection  of  Arnold's 
treason,  and  the  capture  of  major  Andre,  the  commander  in 


83  i;maMpe, 

chief  received  frequent  intelligence  that  many  American  offi- 
cers, and  one  brigadier  general,  high  in  his  confidence,  were 
implicated  in  the  guilt  of  that  conspiracy.  He  consulted  with 
major  Lee  on  the  subject,  submitted  to  his  inspection  the  pa- 
pers detailing  this  alarming  intelligence,  and  desired  his 
opinion  on  the  subject.  Major  Lee  endeavored  to  calm  his 
apprehensions,  and  represented  this,  as  an  artifice  which  the 
British  general  had  adopted  to  weaken  the  confidence  of  the 
commander  in  chief  in  his  subordinate  officers,  and  to  sow  the 
seeds  of  discord  in  the  American  camp.  Washington  "observ- 
ed, that  the  same  thought  had  occurred  to  him;  hut  as  these 
remarks  applied  with  equal  force  to  Arnold  before  his  deser- 
tion, he  was  determined  on  probing  this  matter  to  the  bottom. 
He  proceeded  to  say,  that  what  lie  had  then  to  communicate 
was  a  subject  of  high  delicacy,  and  entire  confidence.  He 
wished  major  Lee  to  recommend  some  bold  and  enterprising 
individual  from  the  legion  he  commanded,  who  should  pro- 
ceed on  that  very  night  to  the  enemy's  camp,  in  the  character 
of  a  deserter.  He  was  to  make  himself  known  to  one  or  two 
of  Washington's  confidential  agents  in  New-York,  to  obtain, 
through  their  means,  the  most  authentic  evidence  of  the  inno- 
cence or  guilt  of  the  American  officers  suspected,  and  trans- 
mit the  result  to  major  Lee.  Another  part  of  his  project  was 
to  seize  the  traitor  and  to  bring  him  alive  to  the  American 
camp;  but  the  orders  were  positive  not  to  put  him  to  death, 
and  to  suffer  him  to  escape,  if  he  could  not  be  taken  by  any 
other  means.  His  public  punishment  was  all  that  Washing- 
ton desired.  He  flattered  himself  that  by  Arnold's  arrest  he 
would  be  enabled  to  unravel  this  conspiracy,  and  save  the  life 
of  the  unfortunate  Andre.  When  major  Lee  sounded  Champe 
on  this  business,  the  heroic  serjeant  replied,  that  if  any  means 
could  be  devised  by  which  he  could  testify  his  devotion  to  his 
country,  and  his  attachment  to  his  commander  in  chief,  com- 
patible with  honor,  he  would  cheerfully  endure  any  personal 
risk:  but  his  soul  abhorred  the  thoughts  of  desertion.  Major 
Lee  with  much  difficulty  succeeded  in  convincing  him,  that  in 
no  other  way  could  he  render  so  important  a  service  to  his 
country,  and  he  was  at  last  prevailed  upon  to  undertake  this 
hazardous  service.  After  being  furnished  with  his  instruc- 
tions, which  he  hastily  took  down  in  a  character,  or  rather 
cipher  of  his  own,  (for  he  was  not  permitted  to  carry  written 
orders,)  his  difficulty  was  to  pass  the  American  lines.  The 
major  was  unable  to  promise  him  any  protection,  as  this 
would  seem  to  countenance  the  plot,  and  to  favor  the  desertion 
of  others,  and  the  enemy  might  moreover,  obtain  intelligence 
by  that  means,  discover  and  defeat  his  object,  and  he  himself 
suffer  the  ignominious  death  of  a  spy.     The  serjeant  at  length 


CHAMPE.  89 

departed,  and  about  lialf  an  hour  afterwards,  the  colonel  was 
informed  that  one  of  the  patroles  had  fallen  in  with  a  dragoon, 
who  being  challenged  put  spurs  to  his  horse,  and  escaped. 
Lee  made  light  of  the  intelligence,  and  scouted  the  idea  that  a 
dragoon  belonging  to  his  legion  should  desert.  It  v.  as  proba- 
bly, he  said,  a  countryman,  who  was  alarmed  at  the  challenge, 
and  might  easily  in  the  night  time  be  mistaken  for  one  of  his 
men.  Orders  were  at  length  given,  to  examine  the  squadron. 
This  command  was  promptly  obeyed,  and  produced  a  confir- 
mation of  the  first  intelligence,  with  the  further  tidings  that 
this  individual  was  no  other  than  the  sergeant  major:  as  nei- 
ther himself  his  baggage,  or  his  horse  were  to  be  found.  Lee 
now  made  lighter  than  ever  of  the  report :  enlarged  on  the 
former  services  of  the  sergeant,  and  his  known  and  tried  fide- 
lity. He  said  that  he  had  probably  followed  the  pernicious  ex- 
ample set  by  his  superior  officers,  who,  in  defiance  of  their 
orders,  peremptory  as  they  were,  occasionally  quitted  the 
camp,  and  were  never  suspected  of  desertion.  All  these  pre- 
texts having  been  exhausted,  written  orders  were  at  length 
issued,  in  the  usual  form.  "Pursue  as  far  you  can,  sergeant 
Champe,  suspected  of  desertion:  bring  him  alive  that  he  may 
suffer  in  the  presence  of  the  army ;  but  kill  him  if  he  resists, 
or  escapes  after  being  taken."  Before  the  pursuing  party  set 
out,  major  Lee  directed  the  commanding  officer  to  be  changed, 
which  allowed  a  little  more  time  to  the  fugitive.  Pursuit 
was  at  length  made,  and  continued  with  such  eagerness,  that 
Champe  escaped  at  the  distance  only  of  three  hundred  yards. 
The  British  galleys  were  lying  below  Powle*s  hook ;  Champe 
called  to  them  for  protection,  and  leaving  his  horse  and  bag- 
gage, plunged  into  the  river  sword  in  hand.  One  of  the  gal- 
leys despatched  a  boat  to  his  assistance,  and  fired  on  his  pur- 
suers, by  which  means  Champe  gained  the  shore  without  in- 
jury- 
Washington  was  highly  pleased  with  the  result  of  this  ad- 
venture. The  eagerness  of  the  pursuit  he  thought  would  be 
decisive  evidence  to  the  British  commander,  that  this  was  a 
real,  and  not  a  feigned  desertion.  Champe  was  immediately 
brought  before  sir  Henry  Clinton,  and  questioned  by  him  on  a 
variety  of  subjects,  and  amongst  the  rest,  if any  American  offi- 
cers were  suspected  of  desertion  and  who  those  officers  were.  The 
sergeant  was  forwarncd  on  this  point,  and  gave  such  answers 
as  would  more  effectually  mislead.  After  this  examination  he 
was  consigned  to  the  care  of  general  Arnold,  and  by  him  re- 
tained in  his  former  rank.  Washington  hoped  and  believed, 
that  the  trial  of  Andre  would  occupy  much  time,  and  enable 
Champe  to  accomplish  his  designs.  That  gallant  officer, 
disdaining  all  subterfuge,  completely  foiled  this  hope,  by 

13 


90  CHAMPE. 

broadly  confessing  the  nature  of  his  connection  with  Arnold 
The  commander  in  chief  offered  to  exchange  Andre  for  Arnold. 
a  proposal  sir  Henry  Clinton,  for  obvious  motives,  declined. 
Had  this  gallant  officer  protracted  his  trial,  and  the  plot 
proved  successful,  the  life  of  Andre  would  have  been  saved, 
not  by  the  intrigues  of  sir  Henry  Clinton,  but  of  Washington- 
in  his  favor.  The  honest  and  precipitate  intrepidity  of  the 
British  officer,  defeated  this  benevolent  project,  and  no  alter- 
native remained  but  a  speedy  death.  The  sergeant,  unfortu- 
nate as  he  was  in  this,  was  more  successful  in  obtaining  evi- 
dence the  most  full  and  satisfactory,  that  the  suspicions  rest- 
ing on  several  American  officers  were  foul  calumnies,  and  a 
forgery  of  the  enemy.  He  now  determined  on  making  one 
bold  attempt  for  the  seizure  of  Arnold.  Having  been  allow- 
ed, at  all  times,  free  access  to  Arnold,  marked  all  his  habits 
and  movements,  he  awaited  only  a  favorable  opportunity  for 
the  execution  of  his  project.  He  had  ascertained  that  Ar- 
nold usually  retired  to  rest  about  twelve,  and  that  previous 
to  this,  lie  spent  some  time  in  a  private  garden,  adjoining  his 
quarters.  He  was  there  to  have  been  seized,  bound,  and  gagged, 
and  under  the  pretext  that  he  was  a  soldier  in  a  state  of 
intoxication,  to  have  been  conveyed  through  bye-paths  and 
unsuspected  places,  to  a  boat  lying  in  readiness,  in  the  river 
Hudson.  Champe  engaged  two  confederates,  and  major  Lee, 
who  co-operated  in  the  plan,  received  timely  intelligence  of 
the  night  fixed  on  for  its  execution.  At  the  appointed  time, 
Ui at  officer,  attended  by  a  small  party  well  mounted,  laid  in 
wait  the  other  side  of  the  Hudson  with  two  spare  horses,  one 
for  Champe  and  the  other  for  Arnold.  The  return  of  da}  light 
announced  the  discomfiture  of  the  plan,  and  Lee  and  his  party 
returned  to  the  camp  with  melancholy  forebodings,  that  the 
life  of  the  gallant  sergeant  had  been  sacrificed  to  his  zeal  in 
the  service  of  his  country.  Consoling,  however,  was  the  in- 
telligence shortly  after  received  from  the  confederates,  that 
on  the  night  preceding  the  one  fixed  on  for  Arnold's  arrest, 
that  officer  had  shifted  his  quarters.  It  appeared  that  he  was 
employed  to  superintend  the  embarkation  of  certain  troops, 
composed  chiefly  of  American  deserters,  and  it  was  appre- 
hended, that  unless  they  were  removed  from  their  barracks, 
which  were  adjacent  to  the  shore,  many  might  seize  that  op- 
portunity to  escape,  this  attempt  was  never  afterwards  re- 
newed. On  the  junction  of  Arnold  with  lord  Cornwallis,  in 
Virginia,  the  sergeant  found  means  to  elude  the  vigilance  of 
the  British  lines,  and  to  reach  in  safety  the  army  of  general 
Greene.  Having  been  furnished  by  that  officer  with  the 
means  of  escaping  to  Washington's  camp,  he  arrived  there 
to  the  astonishment  and  joy  of  his  old  confederates  in  arms.. 


CHRISTIE.  91 

When  Washington  assumed  the  command  of  the  army  un- 
der president  Adams,  he  caused  strict  inquiry  to  he  made  for 
the  man  who  had  so  honorably  distinguished  himself,  intend- 
ing to  honor  such  tried  fidelity  with  military  promotion,  and 
heard,  to  his  great  sorrow,  that  he  had  died  hut  a  short  time 
before,  in  the  state  of  'Kentucky.  These  facts  are  taken  and 
condensed  from  the  interesting  manuscript  of  major  general 
Lee. 

CHRYSTIE,  James,  was  born  in  or  near  Edinburgh,  in  the 
year  1750.  He  migrated  to  the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  in  the 
year  1775.  In  1776,  he  offered  himself  a  candidate  for  a 
military  commission  in  our  revolutionary  army.  Such  was 
his  modest  diffidence,  that  although  he  could  have  had  a  com- 
pany, he  preferred  a  first  lieutenancy,  as  he  considered  him- 
self a  noviciate  in  military  tactics.  In  1777,  he  was  pro- 
moted to  the  command  of  a  company.  This  command  he  held, 
■with  high  reputation,  until  the  end  of  the  war.  He  was  then 
the  oldest  captain,  (except  one,)  in  the  Pennsylvania  line. 

On  the  discovery  of  Arnold's  plot,  at  West  Point,  general 
Washington  sent  for  captain  Chrystie,  and  told  him  he  had  se- 
lected him  for  the  speedy  performance  of  a  very  important 
piece  of  service,  on  horseback.  You  shall  have  two  light- 
horsemen  to  accompany  you.  "  I  shall  be  ready,  and  wait 
upon  your  excellency  in  a  very  short  time  for  your  orders." 
"  Captain  Chrystie,  yon  are  to  receive  no  written  orders  from, 
me.  The  business  is,  that  you  proceed  with  all  possible  ex- 
pedition to  West  Point,  and  examine  particularly  the  state  of 
that  garrison,  in  every  respect ;  and  to  visit  all  the  interme- 
diate posts,  for  the  same  purpose.  Make  this  known  to  no 
one  but  the  commanding  officer  at  each  post ;  and  you  arc  to 
enjoin  on  them  the  secrecy  of  the  grave;  commit  nothing  to 
writing." 

Here  the  general  paused — "Has  your  excellency  any  further 
orders?"  interrupted  captain  Chrystie.  "Yes,"  replied  the 
general,  ''one,  and  a  very  serious  one;  that  is,  captain 
Chrystie,  that  on  this  occasion,  you  are  not  to  let  me  hear  of 
your  being  taken  prisoner.  Do  you  understand  mer"  ''Per- 
fectly well,  sir,"  replied  captain  Chrystie,  "you  shall  not 
hear  of  that  event." 

He  set  out  with  the  two  light-horsemen  :  two  of  the  horses 
became  unable  to  go  within  some  miles  of  West  Point.  He 
took  the  best  of  three,  and  proceeded  alone,  and  returned  to 
head  quarters  in  so  short  a  time,  that  general  Washington 
supposed,  at  first  sight,  he  had  been  interrupted  in  his  journey 
by  the  enemy,  but  captain  Chrystie  made  such  report  as  soon 
set  the  anxious  mind  of  general  Washington  in  perfect  tran- 
quility. 


92  CLAllKE. 

Captain  Chrystie  was  a  perfect  military  man.  He  was 
valiant  without  pride ;  victorious  without  cruelty  ;  indefati- 
gable without  avarice  ;  a  soldier  without  vice  ;  and  a  chris- 
tian without  bigotry.  He  was  modest  and  unassuming,  yet 
firm  as  the  brazen  wall. 

Lieutenant  colonel  James  Crystie,  of  the  15th  regiment, 
United  States  infantry,  and  one  of  the  brave  men  who  earned 
a  name  at  the  battle  of  Queension,  in  the  late  war  with  Great 
Britain,  was  a  son  of  captain  Chrystie.  He  is  also  deceased. 
CLARKE,  George,  Rogers,  colonel  in  the  service  of 
Virginia,  against  the  Indians  in  the  revolutionary  war,  was 
among  the  best  soldiers,  and  better  acquainted  with  the  Indian 
warfare  than  any  oflicer  in  the  army.  While  his  countrymen 
on  the  sea-board  were  contending  with  the  British  regulars, 
lie  was  the  efficient  protector  of  the  people  of  the  frontiers  of 
Virginia  and  Pennsylvania  from  the  inroads  of  the  savages. 
The  history  of  his  exploits  would  fill  a  volume;  and  for  hair- 
breadth escapes  and  hardy  enterprize,  would  hardly  have  a 
parallel.     We  are  only  enabled  to  give  an  extract: 

"The  legislature  of  Virginia  claiming  the  country  con- 
quered by  colonel  Clark,  comprehended  it  within  the  new  coun- 
try, which  they  erected  by  the  name  of  Illinois.  A  regiment 
of  infantry,  and  one  troop  of  cavalry,  were  voted  for  its  pro- 
tection; the  command  of  which  was  given  to  colonel  Clarke; 
whose  former  regiment  was  dissolved,  by  the  expiration  of 
its  term  of  service;  and  who  well  merited  this  new  expression 
of  public  confidence,  by  the  entire  success  of  his  late  enter- 
prises: by  his  known  courage;  by  his  uncommon  hardihood; 
by  his  military  talents;  and  by  his  singular  capacity  for  In- 
dian warfare. 

"The  families  who  came  to  the  Falls  of  Ohio  with  colonel 
Clarke,  in  1778,  were  the  first  settlers  at  that  place.  Con- 
sidering their  exposed  situation  on  the  extremity  of  Kentucky, 
detached  seventy  miles  from  the  other  settlements,  an;l  in  the 
vicinity  of  several  hostile  tribes  of  Indians,  and  British  posts, 
it  was  deemed  expedient  to  erect  their  first  cabins  on  the  prin- 
cipal island  in  the  falls,  and  there  they  made  corn  in  that 
year. 

"Greatly  were  these  adventurers  interested  in  the  success  of 
colonel  Clarke's  expedition.  Nor  was  it  long  before  they 
heard  of  the  fail  of  Kaskaskias.  Pleasing  as  was  this  intel- 
ligence, it  did  not  afford  to  them  the  wanted  security. 

'•There  was  yet  post  St.  Vincents,  more  immediately  in  their 
neighborhood,  and  replenished  with  Indians.  The  capture  of 
this  place  was  to  them  the  mandate  of  liberation  from  their 
insular  situation,  and  an  invitation  to  remove  to  the  Kentucky 
shore.  Hence  the  origin  of  the  settlement  at  the  site  of 
'Louisville. 


CLARKE.  93 

••'A  stand  being  once  made  at  the  Falls,  and  the  garrison 
freed  from  the  contracted  and  inconvenient  limits  of  the  island, 
soon  accumulated  strength  from  accession  of  numbers,  and 
importance  from  its  becoming  the  residence  of  colonel  Clarke, 
with  his  regiment. 

"The  year  1779  early  felt  in  various  ways,  the  effect  of  co- 
lonel Clarke's  expedition  and  success  :  a  general  confidence 
prevailed  in  the  country,  which  extended  itself  abroad:  and 
while  it  brought  more  emigrants  into  Kentucky,  it  encouraged 
an  extension  of  the  settlements.  About  the  first  of  April,  a 
block-house  was  built  where  Lexington  now  stands,  and  anew 
settlement  began  there  under  the  auspices  of  Robert  Patterson, 
who  may  be  considered  an  early  and  meritorious  adventurer, 
much  engaged  in  the  defence  of  the  country;  and  who  was  af- 
terwards promoted  to  the  rank  of  colonel.  Several  persons 
raised  corn  at  the  place  that  year,  and  in  the  autumn.  John 
Morrison,  afterwards  a  major,  removed  his  family  from  Har- 
rodsburg,  and  Mrs.  Morrison  was  the  first  white  woman  at 
Lexington:  so  named  to  commemorate  the  battle  at  Lexing- 
ton, the  first  which  took  place  in  the  war  of  the  revolution. 

"In  this  year,  colonel  Clarke  descended  the  Ohio,  with  a  part 
of  his  regiment,  and  after  entering  the  Mississippi,  at  the  first 
high  land  on  the  eastern  bank,  landed  the  troops,  and  built 
.Fort  Jefferson. 

"In  a  military  view,  this  position  was  well  chosen:  and  had 
it  been  well  fortified,  and  furnished  with  cannon,  would  have 
commanded  the  river.  Without  a  doubt,  at  some  future  day, 
it  will  be  a  plare  of  great  importance  in  the  western  country. 
It  is  within  the  limits  of  Kentucky,  and  never  should  be 
alienated.  A  suitable  garrison  at  that  place,  should  it  ever 
be  necessary,  would  hold  in  check  both  the  upper  and  lower 
Mississippi. 

"  In  1781,  colonel  Clark  received  a  general's  commission, 
and  had  the  chief  command  in  Kentucky.  A  row  galley 
was  constructed  under  his  direction,  which  was  to  ply  up  and 
down  the  Ohio,  as  a  moving  battery  for  the  north-western 
frontier,  and  which  is  supposed  to  have  had  a  very  good  effect 
in  frightening  the  Indians,  for  none  dared  to  attack  it;  nor 
were  they  so  free  as  theretofore  in  crossing  the  river:  indeed, 
there  is  a  tradition,  that  its  passage  up  the  Ohio,  once  as  far 
as  the  mouth  of  Licking,  had  the  effect  to  stop  an  expedition, 
which  a  formidable  party  of  Indians  had  commenced  against 
Kentucky." 

The  character  of  this  veteran  is  well  developed  in  the  fol- 
lowing extract,  recently  published,  from  the  "  Notes  of  an  old 
officer:" 

"  The  Indians  came  into  the  treaty  at  fort  Washington  in 


94  CLARKE. 

the  most  friendly  manner ;  except  the  Shawahanees  ;  the  most 
conceited  and  most  warlike  of  the  ahorigines  ;  the  first  in  at  a 
battle  ;  the  last  at  a  treaty.  Three  hundred  of  their  finest 
warriors,  set  off  in  all  their  paint  and  feathers,  filed  into  the 
council  house.  Their  numhcr  and  demeanor,  so  unusual  at 
an  occasion  of  this  sort,  was  altogether  unexpected  and  sus- 
picious.    The  United  States'  stockade  mustered  seventy  men. 

*kIn  the  centre  of  the  hall,  at  a  little  tahle,  sat  the  Com- 
missary General  Clarke,  the  indefatigahle  scourge  of  these 
very  marauders ;  General  Richard  Butler,  and  Mr.  Par- 
sons; there  were  present  also,  a  Captain  Denny,  who,  I 
believe,  is  still  alive,  and  can  attest  this  story.  On  the  part 
of  the  Indians  an  old  council  sachem  and  a  war  chief  took  the 
lead  :  the  latter,  a  tall  raw  honed  fellow,  with  an  impu- 
dent and  villanous  look  made  a  hoisterous  and  threatening 
speech,  which  operated  effectually  on  the  passions  of  the  In- 
dians, who  set  up  a  prodigious  whoop  at  every  pause.  He  con- 
cluded by  presenting  a  black  and  white  wampum  ;  to  signify 
they  were  prepared  for  either  event,  peace  or  war.  Clarke, 
exhibited  the  same  unaltered  and  careless  countenance  he  had 
shown  during  the  whole  scene,  his  head  leaning  on  his  left 
hand,  and  his  elbow  resting  on  the  table :  he  raised  his  little 
cane  and  pushed  the  sacred  wampum  off  the  table  with  very 
little  ceremony,  every  Indian  at  the  same  moment  started  from 
his  seat  with  one  of  those  sudden,  simultaneous,  and  peculiary 
savage  sounds,  which  startle  and  disconcert  the  stoutest  heart, 
and  can  neither  be  described  nor  forgotten. 

"Parsons,  more  civil  than  military  in  his  habits,  was  poor- 
ly fitted  for  an  emergency  that  probably  embarrassed  even  the 
hero  of  Saratoga;  the  brother  and  father  of  soldiers.  At 
this  juncture  Clarke  rose,  the  scrutinizing  eye  cowered  at 
his  glance;  he  stamped  his  foot  on  the  prostrate  and  insulted 
symbol,  and  ordered  them  to  leave  the  hall.  They  did  so, 
apparently  involuntarily. 

"They  were  heard  all  that  night  debating  in  the  bushes 
near  the  fort.  The  raw-boned  chief  was  for  war,  the  old 
sachem  for  peace  :  the  latter  prevailed  ;  and  the  next  morn- 
ing they  came  back  and  sued  for  peace." 

General  Clarke  died  at  his  seat,  at  Locust  Grove,  near  Louis- 
ville, Kentucky,  on  the  13th  of  February,  1817,  in  the  sixty- 
sixth  year  of  his  age.  He  had  justly  acquired  the  appellation  of 
the  father  of  the  western  country.  A  newspaper  in  his  imme- 
diate neighborhood,  thus  feelingly  noticed  his  death: 

"  Could  our  feeble  talents  enable  us  to  delineate  the  distin- 
guished acts  of  patriotism,  of  valour,  and  philantropliy,  that 
characterised  the  existence  of  this  illustrious  chief,  what  a 
spectacle  would  we  present  to  the  admiring  world !     While 


CllNTON.  95 

basking  in  the  sunshine  of  wealth  and  political  glory,  can  we 
be  unmindful  that  these  are  the  proud  trophies  bequeathed  us 
by  the  toils  and  valor  of  litis  illustrious  man?  Early  in  life  he 
embarked  in  the  cause  of  his  country.  This  western  country 
was  the  great  theatre  of  his  actions.  Bold  and  enterprising, 
he  was  not  to  be  dismayed  by  the  dangers  and  difficulties  that 
threatened  him,  by  a  force  in  number  far  his  superior,  and  re- 
moved to  a  region  never  before  trodden  by  a  civilized  Ameri- 
can. He  estimated  the  value  of  its  favorable  result:  he  relied 
on  his  skill  and  courage;  he  knew  the  fidelity  of  his  little  band 
of  associates,  and,  for  him,  it  was  enough-.  With  this  little 
band  of  Spartans  he  is  seen  piercing  the  gloom  of  the  seques- 
tered forests,  illuminating  them  in  quick  succession  with-  the 
splendour  of  his  victories,  and  early  inviting  his  countrymen 
to  a  residence  his  courage  and  skill  had  purchased  for  them.', 

CLINTON,  James,  was  the  fourth  son  of  colonel  Charles 
Clinton,  and  was  born  on  Thursday,  the  9th  of  August,  1756, 
at  the  house  of  his  father,  in  Ulster  county,  in  the  colony  of 
New  York.  In  common  with  his  brothers,  he  was  favoured 
with  an  excellent  education.  The  study  of  the  exact  sciences 
was  his  favourite  pursuit ;  but  the  predominant  inclination  of 
his  mind  was  to  a  military  life. 

In  the  critical  an4  eventful  affairs  of  nations,  when  their 
rights  and  their  interests  arc  invaded,  and  when  the  most  dar- 
ing attempts  are  made  to  reduce  them  to  domestic  tyranny  or 
foreign  subjugation,  Providence,  in  the  plenitude  of  its  benefi- 
cence,  has  generally  provided  men  qualified  to  lead  the  van  of 
successful  resistance,  and  has  infused  a  redeeming  spirit  into 
the  community,  which  enabled  it  to  rise  superior  to  the  cala- 
mities that  menaced  its  liberty  and  prosperity.  The  charac- 
ters designed  for  these  important  ends,  are  statesmen  and  sol- 
diers. The  first  devise  plans  in  the  cabinet,  and  the  second 
execute  them  in  the  field.  At  the  commencement  of  the  Ame- 
rican revolution,  and  during  its  progress  to  a  glorious  con- 
summation, constellations  of  illustrious  men  appeared  in  the 
councils  and  the  armies  of  the  nation,  illuminating  by  their 
wisdom,  and  upholding  by  their  energy :  drawing  forth  the 
resources,  and  vindicating  the  rights  of  America.  In  defiance 
of  the  most  appalling  considerations,  liberty  or  death  was  in- 
scribed on  the  heart  of  every  patriot;  and,  drawing  the  sword, 
he  consecrated  it  to  the  cause  of  heaven  and  his  country, 
and  determined  to  die  or  to  conquer. 

Amidst  the  gallant  soldiers,  whose  services  were  demanded 
by  the  emergencies  of  the  American  revolution,  James  Clin- 
ton, the  subject  of  this  memoir,  was  always  conspicuous.  To 
an  iron  constitution  and  invincible  courage,  he  added  the  mili- 
tary experience  which  he  acquired  in  the  war  of  1756,  where 


06  CLINTON. 

he  established  his  character  as  an  intrepid  and  skilful  officer? 
and  the  military  knowledge  which  he  obtained  after  the  peace 
of  )  763,  by  a  close  attention  to  the  studies  connected  with  hi§ 
favourite  profession. 

On  the  51st  of  January,  1756,  he  was  appointed  by  go- 
vernor sir  Charles  Hardy,  an  ensign  in  the  second  regiment 
of  militia,  for  the  county  of  Ulster:  on  the  25th  March,  1758, 
by  lieutenant  governor  Delancey,  a  lieutenant  of  a  company 
in  the  pay  of  the  province  of  New  York:  on  the  7th  March, 
1759,  by  the  same  lieutenant  governor,  a  captain  of  a  com- 
pany of  provincial  troops,  ami  in  the  three  following  years 
lie  was  successively  re-appointed  to  the  same  station.  On  the 
15th  November,  1763,  he  was  appointed  by  lieutenant  go- 
vernor Colden,  captain  commandant  of  the  four  companies 
in  the  pay  of  the  province  of  New  York,  raised  for  the 
defence  of  the  western  frontiers  of  the  counties  of  Ulster, 
and  Orange,  and  captain  of  one  of  the  said  companies; 
and  on  the  18th  March,  1774,  lieutenant  colonel  of  the  second 
regiment  of  militia,  in  Ulster  county.  This  detail  is  entered 
into  not  from  a  spirit  of  ostentation,  but  to  show  that  he  rose 
gradually,  and  from  step  to  step  in  his  profession:  not  by  in- 
trigue, for  lie  had  none;  nor  by  the  influence  of  his  family,  for 
they  were  generally  in  opposition  to  the  administration:  but 
by  the  force  of  merit,  developing  itself  in  the  progress  of 
time,  and  by  the  entire  confidence  justly  reposed  in  his  in- 
tegrity, courage,  and  skill. 

In  the  war  of  1756,  commonly  denominated  the  French 
war,  he  encountered,  with  cheerfulness,  the  fatigues  and  dan- 
gers of  a  military  life.  He  was  a  captain  under  colonel  Brad- 
street,  at  the  capture  of  fort  Frontenac,  and  he  rendered  es- 
sential service  in  that  expedition  in  many  respects,  and  par- 
ticularly by  the  capture  of  a  sloop  of  war  on  lake  Ontario, 
which  impeded  the  progress  of  the  army.  His  company  was 
placed  in  row-gallies,  and,  favored  by  a  calm,  compelled  the 
French  vessel  to  strike  after  an  obstinate  resistance.  His  de- 
signation as  captain  commandant  of  the  four  companies,  rais- 
ed for  the  protection  of  the  western  frontiers  of  the  counties 
of  Orange  and  Ulster,  was  a  post  of  great  responsibility  and 
hazard,  and  demonstrated  the  confidence  of  the  government. 
The  safety  of  a  line  of  settlements,  extending  at  least  fifty 
miles,  was  intrusted  to  his  vigilance  and  intrepidity.  The 
ascendency  of  the  French,  over  the  ruthless  savages,  was  al- 
ways predominant,  and  the  inhabitant  of  the  frontiers  was 
compelled  to  hold  the  plough  with  one  hand,  for  his  susten- 
ance, and  to  grasp  his  gun  with  the  other  for  his  defence;  and 
he  was  constantly  in  danger  of  being  awakened,  in  the  hour 
of  darkness,  by  the  war-whoop  of  the  savages,  to  witness  the 
conflagration  of  his  dwelling  and  the  murder  of  his  family. 


CLINTON.  97 

After  the  termination  of  the  French  war,  Mr.  Clinton  mar- 
pied  Mary  De  Witt,  a  young  lady  of  extraordinary  merit, 
whose  ancestors  emigrated  from  Holland,  and  whose  name 
proclaims  their  respectability;  and  he  retired  from  the  camp 
to  enjoy  the  repose  of  domestic  life. 

When  the  American  Revolution  was  on  the  eve  of  its  com- 
mencement, he  was  appointed  on  the  30th  June.  1775,  by  the 
continental  congress,  colonel  of  the  third  regiment  of  New 
York  forces.  On  the  25th  of  October  following,  he  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  provincial  congress  of  New  York,  colonel  of 
the  regiment  of  foot  in  Ulster  county;  on  the  8th  of  March, 
3  776,  by  the  continental  congress,  colonel  of  the  second  bat- 
talion of  New  York  troops;  and  on  the  9th  of  August,  1776, 
a  brigadier  general  in  the  army  of  the  United  States;  in  which 
station  he  continued  during  the  greater  part  of  the  war,  hav- 
ing the  command  of  the  New  York  line,  or  the  troops  of  that 
state;  and  at  its  close  he  was  constituted  a  major  general. 

In  1775,  his  regiment  composed  part  of  the  army  under 
general  Montgomery,  which  invaded  Canada:  and  he  partici- 
pated in  all  the  fatigues,  dangers  and  privations,  of  that  ce- 
lebrated but  unfortunate  expedition. 

In  October,  1777,  he  commanded  at  fort  Clinton,  which, 
together  with  its  neighbour,  fort  Montgomery,  constituted  the 
defence  of  the  Hudson  river,  against  the  ascent  of  an  enemy. 
His  brother,  the  governor,  commanded  in  chief  at  both  forts. 
Sir  Henry  Clinton,  with  a  view  to  create  a  diversion  in  fa- 
vour of  general  Burgoyne,  moved  up  the  Hudson  with  an  army 
of  four  thousand  men,  and  attacked  those  works,  which  were 
very  imperfectly  fortified,  and  only  defended  by  five  hundred 
men,  composed  principally  of  militia.  After  a  most  gallant 
resistance,  the  forts  were  carried  by  storm.  General  Clin- 
ton was  the  last  man  who  left  the  works,  and  not  until  he 
was  severely  wounded  by  the  thrust  of  a  bayonet;  pursued 
and  fired  at  by  the  enemy,  and  his  attending  servant  killed. 
He  bled  profusely,  and  when  he  dismounted  from  his  war 
horse,  in  order  to  effect  his  escape  from  the  enemy,  who  were 
close  on  him,  it  occurred  to  him  that  he  must  either  perish  on 
the  mountains  or  be  captured,  unless  he  could  supply  himself 
with  another  horse;  an  animal  which  sometimes  roams  at 
large  in  that  wild  region.  In  this  emergency,  he  took  the 
bridle  from  his  horse,  and  slid  down  a  precipice  of  one  hun- 
dred feet  to  the  ravine  of  the  creek  which  separated  the  forts, 
and  feeling  cautiously  his  way  along  its  precipitous  banks,  he 
reached  the  mountain  at  a  distance  from  the  enemy,  after  hav' 
ing  fallen  into  the  stream,  the  cold  water  of  which  arrested  a 
copious  effusion  of  blood.  The  return  of  light  furnished  him 
with  the  sight  of  a  horse,  which  conveyed  him  to  his  house. 

13 


98  CLINTON. 

about  sixteen  miles  from  the  fort,  where  he  arrived  about 
noon,  covered  with  blood,  and  labouring  under  a  severe  fever. 
In  his  helpless  condition  the  British  passed  up  tbe  Hudson, 
within  a  few  miles  of  his  house,  and  destroyed  the  town  of 
Kingston. 

The  cruel  ravages  and  horrible  irruptions  of  the  Iroquois, 
or  six  nations  of  Indians,  on  our  frontier  settlements,  render- 
ed it  necessary  to  inflict  a  terrible  chastisement,  which  would 
prevent  a  repetition  of  their  atrocities.  An  expedition  was  ac- 
cordingly planned,  and  the  principal  command  was  committed 
to  general  Sullivan,  who  was  to  proceed  up  the  Susquehanna, 
with  the  main  body  of  the  army,  while  general  Clinton  was 
to  join  him  by  the  way  of  the  Mohawk. 

The  Iroquois  inhabited,  or  occasionally  occupied  that  im- 
mense and  fertile  region  which  composes  the  western  parts 
of  New  York  and  Pennsylvania,  and  besides  their  own  rava- 
ges, from  their  settlements  to  the  inhabited  parts  of  tbe  United 
States,    they  facilitated  the  inroads  of  the  more  remote  In- 
dians.    When  general  Sullivan  was  on  his  way  to  the  Indian 
country,  he  was  joined  by  general  Clinton  with  upwards  of 
sixteen  hundred  men.     The  latter  had  gone  up  the  Mohawk 
in  batteaux,  from  Schenectady,  and  after  ascending  that  river 
about  fifty-four  miles,  he  conveyed  his  batteaux  from  Cana- 
joharie  to  the  head  of  Otsego  lake,  one  of  the  sources  of  the 
Susquehanna.     Finding  the  stream  of  water,  in  that  river, 
too  low  to  float  his  boats,  he  erected  a  dam  across  the  mouth 
of  the  lake,  which  soon  rose  to  the  altitude  of  the  dam.   Having 
got  his  batteaux  ready,  he  opened  a  passage  through  the  dam 
for  the  water  to  flow.     This  raised  the  river  so  high,  that  he 
was  enabled  to  embark  all  his  troops  :  to  float  them  down  to 
Tioga,  and  to  join  general  Sullivan  in  good  season.     The  In- 
dians collected  their  strength  at  Newton ;   took  possession 
of  proper  ground  and  fortified  with  judgment,  and  on  the  29th 
August,  1^79,  an  attack  was  made  on  them ;  their  works 
were  forced,  and  their  consternation  was  so  great,  that  they 
abandoned  all  further  resistance;  for,  as  the  Americans  ad- 
vanced into  their  settlements,  they  retreated  before  them  with- 
out throwing  any  obstructions  in  their  way.  The  army  passed 
between  the  Cayuga  and  Seneca  lakes,  by  Geneva  and  Canan- 
daigua,  and  as  far  west  as  the  Genessec  river,  destroying  large 
settlements  and  villages,  and  fields  of  corn  ;  orchards  of  fruit 
trees  and  gardens  abounding  with  esculent  vegetables.  The  pro- 
gress of  the  Indians  in  agriculture,  struck  the  Americans  with 
astonishment.  Many  of  their  ears  of  corn  measured  tw  enty-two 
inches  in  length.     They  had  horses,  cows,  and  hogs,  in  abun- 
dance. They  manufactured  salt  and  sugar,  and  raised  the  best  of 
apples  and  peaches,  and  their  dwellings  were  large  and  com- 


CLINTON.  99 

rnodious.  The  desolation  of  their  settlements,  the  destruction 
of  their  provisions,  and  the  conflagration  of  their  houses, 
drove  them  to  the  British  fortress  of  Niagara  for  subsistence, 
whore,  living  on  salt  provisions,  to  which  they  were  unac- 
customed, they  died  in  groat  numbers,  and  the  effect  of  this 
expedition,  was  to  diminish  their  population ;  to  damp  their 
ardour ;  to  check  their  arrogance  ;  to  restrain  their  cruelty,  and 
to  inflict  an  irrecoverable  blow  on  their  resousces  of  extensive 
aggression. 

For  a  considerable  portion  of  the  war,  general  Clinton  was 
stationed  at  Albany,  where  he  commanded,  in  the  northern 
department  of  the  union,  a  place  of  high  responsibility,  and 
requiring  uncommon  vigilance  and  continual  exertion.  An 
incident  occurred,  when  on  this  command,  which  strongly  il- 
lustrates his  character.  A  regiment,  which  had  been  ordered 
to  march,  mutinied  under  arms,  and  peremptorily  refused 
obedience.  The  general,  on  being  apprised  of  this,  immedi- 
ately repaired  with  his  pistols  to  the  ground:  he  went  up  to 
the  head  of  the  regiment,  and  ordered  it  to  march:  a  silence 
ensued,  and  the  order  was  not  complied  with.  lie  then  pre- 
sented a  pistol  to  the  breast  of  a  sergeant,  who  was  the  ring- 
leader, and  commanded  him  to  proceed  on  pain  of  death  ;  and 
so  on  in  succession  along  the  line,  and  bis  command  was,  in 
every  instance,  obeyed,  and  the  regiment  restored  to  entire 
and  complete  subordination  and  submission. 

General  Clinton  was  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown  and  the  cap- 
ture of  Cornwallis,  where  he  distinguished  himself  by  bis 
usual  intrepidity. 

II is  last  appearance,  in  arms,  was  on  the  evacuation  of 
the  city  of  New  York  by  the  British.  He  then  bid  the  com- 
mander in  chief  a  final  and  affectionate  adieu,  and  retired  to 
his  ample  estates,  where  he  enjoyed  that  repose  which  was  re- 
quired by  a  long  period  of  fatigue  and  privation. 

II"  was.  however,  frequently  called  from  bis  retirement  by 
Ihe  unsolicited  voice  of  his  fellow-citizens,  to  perform  civic 
duties.  He  was  appointed  a  commissioner  to  adjust  the  boun- 
dary line  between  Pennsylvania  and  New  York,  which  im- 
portant measure  was  amicably  and  successfully  accomplished. 
He  was  also  selected  by  the  legislature  for  an  interesting 
mission  to  settle  controversies  about  lands  in  the  west,  which 
also  terminated  favourably.  He  represented  his  native  county 
in  the  assembly  and  in  the  convention  that  adopted  the  present 
constitution  of  the  United  States,  and  he  was  elected,  without 
opposition,  a  senator  from  the  middle  district;  all  which  trusts 
he  executed  with  perfect  integrity,  with  solid  intelligence,  and 
\v  ith  the  full  approbation  of  his  constituents. 

The  temper  of  general  Clinton  was  mild  and  affectionate, 


too  CLINTON. 

but  when  raised  by  unprovoked  or  unmerited  injury,  he  exhi- 
bited extraordinary  and  appalling  energy.  In  battle  lie  was 
as  cool  and  as  collected  as  if  sitting  by  his  fireside.  Nature 
intended  him  for  a  gallant  and  efficient  soldier,  when  she  en- 
dowed him  with  the  faculty  of  entire  self-possession  in  the 
midst  of  the  greatest  dangers. 

He  died  on  the  22d  of  December,  1812,  and  was  interred  in 
the  family  burial  place  in  Orange  county,  and  his  monumental 
stone  bears  the  following  inscription: 

"Underneath  are  interred  the  remains  of  James  Clinton, 
Esquire. 

"He  was  born  the  9th  of  August,  1736;  and  died  the  22d 
of  December,  1812. 

"  His  life  was  principally  devoted  to  the  military  service  of 
his  country,  and  he  had  filled  with  fidelity  and  honour,  several 
distinguished  civil  offices. 

"  He  was  an  officer  in  the  revolutionary  war,  and  the  war 
preceding;  and,  at  the  close  of  the  former,  was  a  major  gene- 
ral in  the  army  of  the  United  States.  He  was  a  good  man, 
and  a  sincere  patriot,  performing,  in  the  most  exemplary  man- 
ner, all  the  duties  of  life:  and  he  died,  as  he  lived,  without 
fear,  and  without  reproach. " 

CLINTON,  George,  formerly  governor  of  the  state  of 
New  York,  and  vice-president  of  the  United  States,  was  born 
on  the  26th  July,  1739,  in  the  county  of  Ulster,  in  the  colony 
of  New  York.  He  was  the  youngest  son  of  colonel  Charles 
Clinton,  an  emigrant  from  Ireland,  and  a  gentleman  of  dis- 
tinguished worth  and  high  consideration. 

He  was  educated,  principally,  under  the  eye  of  his  father, 
and  received  the  instruction  of  a  learned  minister  of  the  pres- 
byterian  church,  who  had  graduated  in  the  university  of  Aber- 
deen :  and,  after  reading  law,  in  the  office  of  William  Smith, 
afterwards  chief  justice  of  Canada,  he  settled  himself  in  that 
profession  in  the  county  of  his  nativity,  where  he  rose  to  emi- 
nence. 

In  1768,  he  took  his  seat  as  one  of  the  members  of  the  coloni- 
al assembly,  for  the  county  of  Ulster,  and  he  continued  an 
active  member  of  that  body  until  it  was  merged  in  the  revolu- 
tion. His  energy  of  character,  discriminating  intellect,  and 
undaunted  courage,  placed  him  among  the  chiefs  of  the  whig- 
party;  and  he  was  always  considered  possessed  of  a  superior 
mind  and  master  spirit,  on  which  his  country  might  rely,  as 
an  assylum  in  the  most  gloomy  periods  of  her  fortunes. 

On  the  22d  of  April,  1775,  he  was  chosen  by  the  provin- 
cial convention  of  New  York,  one  of  the  delegates  to  the  con- 
tinental congress,  and  took  his  seat  in  that  illustrious  body, 
on  the  15th  of  May.     On  the  4th  of  July,  1776,  he  was  pre> 


CLINTON.  10 1 

sent  at  the  glorious  declaration  of  independence,  and  assented 
with  his  usual  energy  and  decision  to  that  measure  ;  but 
having  been  appointed  a  brigadier  general  in  the  militia,  and 
also  in  the  army,  the  exigencies  of  his  country,  at  that  trying 
hour,  rendered  it  necessary  for  hiin  to  take  the  held  in  person, 
ami  he  therefore  retired  from  congress  immediately  after  his 
vote  was  given,  and  before  the  instrument  was  transcribed  for 
the  signature  of  the  members;  for  which  reason  his  name  does 
not  appear  among  the  signers. 

A  constitution  having  been  adopted  for  the  state  of  New 
York,  on  the  20th  April,  1777,  he  was  chosen  at  the  first  elec- 
tion under  it,  both  governor  and  lieutenant  governor,  and  he 
was  continued  in  the  former  office  for  eighteen  years,  by  tri- 
ennial elections;  when,  owing  to  ill  health,  and  a  respect  for 
the  republican  principle  of  rotation  in  office,  he  declined  a  re- 
ijlection. 

During  the  revolutionary  war, he  cordially  co-operated  with 
the  immortal  Washington,  and  without  his  aid,  the  army 
would  have  been  disbanded,  and  the  northern  separated  from 
the  southern  states,  by  the  intervention  of  British  troops.  He 
was  always  at  his  post  in  the  times  that  tried  men's  souls:  at 
one  period  repelling  the  advances  of  the  enemy  from  Canada, 
and  at  another,  meeting  them  in  battle  when  approaching  from 
the  south.  His  gallant  defence  of  fort  Montgomery,  with  a 
handful  of  men,  against  a  powerful  force  commanded  by  sir 
Henry  Clinton,  was  equally  honourable  to  his  intrepidity  and 
his  skill. 

The  following  are  the  particulars  of  his  gallant  conduct  at 
the  storming  of  forts  Montgomery  and  Clinton,  in  October, 
1777: 

"When  the  British  reinforcements,  under  general  Robert- 
son, amounting  to  nearly  two  thousand  men,  arrived  from 
Europe,  sir  Henry  Clinton  used  the  greatest  exertion,  and 
availed  himself  of  every  favourable  circumstance,  to  put  these 
troops  into  immediate  operation.  Many  were  sent  to  suitable 
vessels,  and  united  in  the  expedition,  which  consisted  of  about 
four  thousand  men,  against  the  forts  in  the  highlands.  Hav- 
ing made  the  necessary  arrangements,  he  moved  up  the  North 
River,  and  landed  on  the  41  h  of  October  at  Tarry-town,  pur- 
posely to  impress  general  Putnam,  under  whose  command  a 
thousand  continental  troops  had  been  left,  with  a  belief,  that 
his  post  at  Peek's-kill  was  the  object  of  attack.  At  eight 
o'clock  at  night,  the  general  communicated  the  intelligence  to 
governor  Clinton,  of  the  arrival  of  the  British,  and  at  the 
same  time  expressed  his  opinion  respecting  their  destination. 
The  designs  of  sir  Henry  were  immediately  perceived  by  the 
governor,  who  prorogued  the  assembly  on  the  following  day; 


102  CLINTON. 

and  arrived  that  night  at  fort  Montgomery.  The  British 
troops,  in  the  mean  time,  were  secretly  conveyed  across  the 
river,  and  assaults  upon  our  forts  were  meditated  to  be  made 
on  the  6th,  which  were  accordingly  put  in  execution,  by  at- 
tacking the  American  advanced  party  at  Doodletown,  about 
two  miles  and  a  half  from  fort  Montgomery.  The  Americans 
received  the  fire  of  the  British,  and  retreated  to  fort  Clinton. 
The  enemy  then  advanced  to  the  west  side  of  the  mountain,  in 
order  to  attack  our  troops  in  the  rear.  Governor  Clinton  im- 
mediately ordered  out  a  detachment  of  one  hundred  men  to- 
ward Doodletown,  and  another  of  sixty,  with  a  brass  field 
piece,  to  an  eligible  spot  on  another  road.  They  were  both 
soon  attacked  by  the  whole  force  of  the  enemy,  and  compelled 
to  fall  back.  It  has  been  remarked,  that  the  talents,  as  well 
as  the  temper  of  a  commander,  are  put  to  as  severe  a  test  in 
conducting  a  retreat,  as  in  achieving  a  victory.  The  truth  of 
this  governor  Clinton  experienced,  when,  with  great  bravery, 
and  the  most  perfect  order,  he  retired  till  he  reached  the  fort. 
He  lost  no  time  in  placing  his  men  in  the  best  manner  that 
circumstances  would  permit.  His  post,  however,  as  well  as 
fort  Clinton,  in  a  few  minutes,  were  invaded  on  every  side.  In 
the  midst  of  this  disheartening  and  appalling  disaster,  he  was. 
summoned,  when  the  sun  was  only  an  hour  high,  to  surrender; 
but  his  gallant  spirit  sternly  refused  to  obey  the  call.  In  a  short 
time  after,  the  British  made  a  general  and  most  desperate  attack 
on  both  posts,  which  was  received  by  the  Americans  with  undis- 
mayed courage  and  resistance.  Officers  and  men,  militia  and 
continentals,  all  behaved  alike  brave.  An  incessant  fire  was 
kept  up  till  dusk,  when  our  troops  were  overpowered  by  num- 
bers, who  forced  the  lines  and  redoubts  at  both  posts.  Many 
of  the  Americans  fought  their  way  out,  others  accidentally 
mixed  with  the  enemy,  and  thus  made  their  escape  effectually; 
for,  besides  being  favoured  by  the  night,  they  knew  the  va- 
rious avenues  in  the  mountains.  The  governor,  as  well  as 
his  brother,  General  James  Clinton,  who  was  wounded,  were 
not  taken." 

The  administration  of  governor  Clinton,  was  characterized 
by  wisdom  and  patriotism.  He  was  a  republican  in  princi- 
ple and  practice.  After  a  retirement  of  five  years,  he  was 
called  by  the  citizens  of  the  city  and  county  of  New  York  to 
represent  them  in  the  assembly  of  the  state ;  and  to  his  influ- 
ence and  popularity  may  be  ascribed,  in  a  great  degree,  the 
change  in  his  native  state,  which  finally  produced  the  impor- 
tant political  revolution  of  1801. 

At  that  period,  much  against  his  inclination,  but  from  mo- 
tives of  patriotism,  he  consented  to  an  election  as  governor, 
and  in  1805,  he  wras  chosen  Vice-President  of  the  United 


CLINTON.  103 

States,  in  which  office  he  continued  until  his  death  ;  presiding 
with  great  dignity  in  the  senate,  and  evincing  by  his  votes 
and  his  opinions,  his  decided  hostility  to  constructive  author- 
ity, and  to  innovations  on  the  established  principles  of  repub- 
lican government. 

He  died  at  Washington,  when  attending  to  his  duties  as 
Vice-president,  and  was  interred  in  that  city,  where  a  monu- 
ment was  erected  by  the  filial  piety  of  his  children,  with  this 
inscription,  written  by  his  nephew. 

u  To  the  memory  of  George  Clinton.  He  was  born  in  the 
state  of  New  York  on  the  26th  of  July,  1739,  and  died  in  the 
city  of  Washington,  on  the  20th  April,  1812,  in  the  seventy- 
third  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  soldier  and  statesman  of  the 
revolution.  Eminent  in  council,  and  distinguished  in  war,  he 
filled,  with  unexampled  usefulness,  purity  and  ability,  among 
many  other  offices,  those  of  governor  of  his  native  state,  and  of 
vice-president  of  the  United  States.  While  he  lived,  his  virtue, 
wisdom  and  valour,  were  the  pride,  the  ornament,  and  secu- 
rity of  his  country ;  and  when  he  died,  he  left  an  illustrious 
example  of  a  well  spent  life,  worthy  of  all  imitation." 

There  are  few  men  who  will  occupy  as  renowned  a  place 
in  the  history  of  his  country  as  George  Clinton ;  and  the 
progress  of  time  will  increase  the  public  veneration,  and 
thicken  the  laurels  that  cover  his  monument. 

CLINTON,  Charles,  the  father  of  James  and  George  Clin- 
ton, was  distinguished  in  the  colony  of  New  York,  as  a  gentle- 
man of  pure  morals,  strong  and  cultivated  intellect,  great 
respectability,  and  extensive  influence,  His  grand  father, 
William  Clinton,  was  an  adherent  of  Charles  the  first,  in  the 
civil  wars  of  England,  and  an  officer  in  his  army  ;  and  after 
the  dethronement  of  that  monarch,  took  refuge  on  the  continent 
of  Europe,  where  he  remained  a  long  time  in  exile.  He  after- 
wards went  secretly  to  Scotland,  where  he  married  and  then 
passed  over,  for  greater  security,  to  the  north  of  Ireland, 
where  he  died  deprived  of  his  patrimony,  and  leaving  James, 
an  orphan  son,  two  years  old.  When  James  arrived  to  man- 
hood, he  went  to  England  to  recover  his  patrimonial  estate, 
but  being  barred  by  the  limitation  of  an  act  of  parliament,  he 
returned  to  Ireland,  and  finally  settled  in  the  county  of  Long- 
ford, having  married,  on  his  visit  to  the  country  of  his  ances- 
tors, miss  Elizabeth  Smith,  the  daughter  of  a  captain  in 
Cromwell's  army;  by  which  connexion,  he  was  enabled  to 
maintain,  at  that  time,  a  respectable  standing  in  the  country 
of  his  adoption. 

Charles  Clinton,  the  subject  of  this  memoir,  was  the  son  of 
James  Clinton,  and  was  born  in  the  county  of  Longford,  in 
Ireland,  in  1690.     In  1729,  he  came  to  a  determination  to 


104  CLINTON. 

emigrate  to  British  America,  and  having  persuaded  a  number 
of  his  relations  and  friends  to  co-operate  with  him.  he  charter- 
ed a  ship  for  the  purpose  of  conveying  his  little  colony  to 
Philadelphia.  By  the  terms  of  the  Charter  Party,  the  pas- 
sengers were  to  be  liberally  supplied  with  provisions  and 
other  accommodations,  and  the  vessel  was  to  be  navigated  by 
honest  and  skilful  hands.  On  the  20th  of  May,  1729,  the  ship 
left  Ireland.  Besides  his  wife,  he  had  two  daughters  and  one 
son  with  him.  After  being  at  sea  for  some  time,  it  was  dis- 
covered that  the  commander  of  the  vessel  was  a  ruffian,  and 
had  probably  formed  a  deliberate  design  of  starving  the  pas- 
sengers to  death,  either  with  a  view  to  acquire  their  property 
or  to  deter  emigration.  He  actually  killed  a  man,  and  con- 
tinued so  long  at  sea,  that  the  passengers  were  reduced  to  an 
allowance  of  half  a  biscuit  and  half  a  pint  of  water  a  day. 
In  consequence  of  which  many  of  them  died,  and  Mr.  Clinton 
lost  a  son  and  daughter.  In  this  awful  situation,  the  remedy 
of  seizing  the  captain,  and  committing  the  navigation  of  the 
vessel  to  Mr.  Clinton,  who  was  an  excellent  mathematician, 
occurred  to  the  passengers;  but  they  were  prevented  by  the 
fear  of  incurring  the  guilt  of  piracy,  especially  as  they  could 
not  obtain  the  co-operation  or  assistance  of  the  officers  of  the 
ship.  They  were  finally  compelled  to  give  the  captain  a  large 
sum  of  money  as  a  commutation  for  their  lives,  and  on  the  4th  of 
October,  he  landed  them  at  Cape  Cod.  After  leaving  the  ship, 
she  was  driven  from  her  moorings  in  a  stormy  night,  and  lost. 
Mr.  Clinton  and  his  friends  continued  in  that  part  of  the  coun- 
try until  the  spring  of  1731;  when  he  removed  to  the  count} 
of  Ulster,  in  the  colony  of  New  York,  were  he  formed  a  flour- 
ishing settlement.  This  misconduct  of  the  commander  of  the 
vessel,  diverted  him  from  his  original  design  of  settling  in  Penn- 
sylvania. The  country  which  he  selected  was  wild  and  un- 
cultivated ;  covered  with  forests,  supplied  with  streams,  di- 
versified with  hills  and  valleys,  and  abundant  in  the  products 
of  cultivation  ;  but  so  exposed  (although  only  eight  miles  from 
the  Hudson  river  and  sixty  from  the  city  of  New  York)  to  the 
incursions  of  the  savages,  that  Mr.  Clinton  considered  it 
necessary  to  erect  a  palisade  work  round  his  house  for  the  se- 
curity of  himself  and  his  neighbours. 

Inthis  sequestered  retreat  he  devoted  himself  to  the  culti- 
vation of  a  large  farm,  and  he  occasionally  acted  as  a  survey- 
or of  land  ;  a  profession,  which  at  that  time  and  since,  has 
been  followed  by  the  most  respectable  men  of  this  country. 
His  leisure  moments  were  devoted  to  study  and  writing.  Pos- 
sessed of  a  well  selected  library,  and  endowed  with  extraordi- 
nary talents,  he  made  continual  accessions  to  his  stores  of  use- 
fill  knowledge. 


CLINTON,  103 

Merit  so  distinguished,  and  respectability  so  undoubted, 
attracted  the  favorable  notice  of  the  government  and  the  com- 
munity. He  was  soon  appointed  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  a 
judge  of  the  county  of  Ulster.  In  1756,  he  was  appointed  by 
the  govenor,  sir  Charles  Hardy,  lieutenant  colonel  of  the 
second  regiment  of  militia  foot,  for  the  county  of  Ulster.  On 
the  24th  March,  1758,  he  was  appointed  by  lieutenant  gover- 
nor Delancey,  a  lieutenant  colonel  of  one  of  the  battalions  of 
the  regiment,  in  the  province  of  New  York,  whereof  Oliver 
Delancey,  was  colonel ;  in  which  capacity  he  engaged  in  ac- 
tual service,  and  acted  under  the  command  of  colonel  Brad- 
street,  at  the  siege  and  capture  offortFrontenac,  (now  Kings- 
ton,)  on  the  north  side  of  lake  Ontario.  In  1753,  George 
Clinton,  the  father  of  sir  Henry  Clinton,  was  installed  as 
governor  of  the  colony.  An  intimacy  took  place  between  him 
and  Mr.  Clinton,  in  consequence  of  which,  and  their  distant 
consanguinity,  the  latter  was  earnestly  solicited  by  his  name- 
sake, to  accept  of  a  lucrative  and  distinguished  office ;  but 
preferring  the  charms  of  retirement,  and  the  cultivation  of 
literature,  to  the  cares  of  public  life,  he  declined  every  over- 
ture of  the  kind.  His  son  George,  who  was  named  after  the 
colonial  governor,  was  honoured  by  his  early  attentions,  and 
received  from  his  friendship,  the  valuable  office  of  clerk  of  the 
county.  Mr.  Clinton  was  also  on  terms  of  intimacy  with 
several  of  the  colonial  chief  magistrates,  and  the  leading  men 
of  the  province;  and  he  is  respectfully  noticed  by  Smith,  the 
historian  of  New  York,  for  his  ingenuity  and  knowledge. 
Besides  the  daughter  born  in  Ireland,  Mr.  Clinton  had  four 
sons  in  this  country.  Alexander,  edticated  in  the  college  at 
Princeton,  and  afterwards  a  physician;  Charles,  also  an  emi- 
nent physician,  and  a  surgeon  in  the  army  which  took  Ha 
vanna,  in  the  island  of  Cuba,  James,  a  major  general  in  the 
revolutionary  army;  and  George,  governor  of  the  state  of 
New  York,  and  vice-president  of  the  United  States.  He  was 
peculiarly  happy  and  fortunate  in  his  children.  Having  de- 
voted particular  attention  to  their  education,  he  had  the  sa- 
tisfaction of  seeing  them  possessed  of  the  regard  of  their  coun 
try,  and  vorthy  of  the  veneration  of  posterity. 

He  died  «x.  his  place,  in  Ulster,  now  Orange  county,  on  the 
19th  day  of  November,  1773,  in  his  eighty-third  year,  just  in 
time  to  escape,  at  that  advanced  age,  the  cares  and  perplexi- 
ties of  the  revolution  ;  but  foreseeing  its  approach,  lie  expired 
breathing  an  ardent  spirit  of  patriotism,  and  conjuring  his 
sons,  in  his  last  moments,  to  stand  by  the  liberties  of  America. 

Mr.  Clinton  possessed  an  uncommon  genius;  a  penetra- 
ting understanding;  a  solid  judgment,  and  an  extensive  fund 
of  useful  and  ornamental  knowledge,  with  the  affability  aivsl 

14 


106  COMSTOCK. 

manners  of  an  accomplished  gentleman.  His  person  was  tall, 
erect  and  graceful,  and  his  appearance  impressive  and  digni- 
fied. If  he  happened  to  be  in  the  company  of  young  peoples 
their  first  impressions  would  be  those  of  awe  and  reverence, 
but  in  the  course  of  a  few  minutes,  he  would  enter  into  the 
most  pleasing  and  instructive  conversation,  which  would  soon 
restore  their  composure,  and  never  failed  of  inspiring  the 
most  grateful  attachment  and  the  most  respectful  confidence. 
He  was  a  dutiful  son ;  an  affectionate  husband ;  a  kind  father ; 
a  good  neighbour;  a  disinterested  patriot,  and  a  sincere  Chris- 
tian. He  sometimes  retired  from  the  cares  of  business  and  the  se- 
vere studies  of  the  exact  sciences,  and  took  refuge  in  music  and 
poetry,  and  courted  the  communion  of  Apollo  and  the  muses. 
The  following  lines,  written  by  him  on  the  grave  of  a  be- 
loved and  elder  sister,  were  casually  preserved,  and  will  show 
the  kinder  affections  which  animated  his  bosom,  and  which  at 
tended  him  in  all  the  relations  and  charities  of  life. 

Oh!  cans't  thou  know,  thou  dear  departed  shade! 
The  mighty  sorrows  that  my  soul  invade, 
Whilst  o'er  thy  mould'ring  gravel  mourning  stand. 
And  view  thy  grave  far  from  thy  native  land. 
With  thee  my  tender  years  were  early  train'd, 
Oft  have  thy  friendly  arms  my  weight  sustained, 
And  when  with  childish  freaks  or  pains  opprest, 
You,  with  soft  music,  lull'd  my  soul  to  rest. 

COMSTOCK,  Adam,  was  an  officer  in  the  continental 
army,  in  the  revolutionary  war.  Formed  by  nature,  in  body 
and  mind,  for  a  soldier,  and  glowing  with  the  enthusiasm  of 
liberty,  he  early  entered  the  field,  on  the  side  of  the  colonics, 
in  the  revolutionary  conflict.  Enjoying  the  confidence  of  the 
illustrious  Washington,  he  was  soon  promoted,  under  his  aus- 
pices, to  a  colonelcy  in  the  continental  line  of  the  army. 
At  the  signal  victory  of  Red  Bank,  he  was  the  "officer  of 
the  day,"  and  alternately  commanded  with  general  Samuel 
Smith,  of  Maryland,  in  the  gallant  affair  of  Mud  Fort.  On 
his  retiring  from  the  army,  he  received  from  the  commander 
in  chief  the  most  flattering  testimonials  of  his  military  ca- 
reer. During  a  great  part  of  his  life,  he  was  tfe  incumbent 
of  various  judicial  offices,  the  duties  of  which  ne  discharged 
with  acknowledged  ability  and  independence,  while  his  par- 
liamentary labours  of  about  twenty  years,  further  evince  the 
respectful  consideration  in  which  he  was  held  by  his  fellow-ci- 
tizens. Industry,  temperance,  and  integrity,  characterized  his. 
private  deportment. 

He  died  at  his  residence,  in  Saratoga  county,  New  York, 
on  the  10th  of  April,  1822,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  his  age, 


CROGHAN.  107 

CROGH  AN,  William,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  emi- 
grated in  early  life  to  America.  He  was  one  of  those  patriots, 
who  raised  this  country  to  honour  and  to  empire.  During 
the  whole  of  that  memorahle  conflict,  which  resulted  in  the 
dismemberment  of  one,  and,  the  creation  of  another  empire,  he 
discharged  the  duties  of  an  ardent  and  gallant  officer.  In 
the  dangers,  as  well  as  in  the  glories  of  that  eventful  period, 
he  largely  participated. 

At  the  commencement  of  those  troubles  which  preceded  and 
indicated  the  approaching  conflict,  his  principles  and  his  feel- 
ings forbade  him  from  being  a  disinterested  spectator;  he 
promptly  decided  not  only  on  the  cause  which  he  should 
espouse,  but  determined  to  support  that  cause  at  the  hazard  of 
his  fortune  and  his  life.  He  entered  the  American  army  in 
the  year  1776,  as  a  captain  of  infantry  in  the  Virginia  line; 
soon  afterwards  the  regiment  of  which  his  company  formed  a 
part,  was  marched  to  the  seat  of  war  in  the  north.  He  re- 
mained there  during  the  whole  of  that  period,  which  has  ever 
been  considered  the  most  critical,  as  well  as  the  most  glorious 
of  the  war.  Brandy  wine,  Germantown,  and  Monmouth,  pre- 
sented successively  a  part  of  the  scenes  in  which  he  was  en- 
gaged. Indeed,  to  no  officer  of  his  rank,  was  a  larger  por- 
tion of  that  honour  due,  which  history  and  this  country  give 
to  the  exertions  of  the  army  during  that  appalling  period. 

In  the  winter  of  1779,  a  portion  of  the  army  embracing  the 
whole  Virginia  line,  was  ordered  to  the  southward. 

Here  he  suffered  the  fate,  to  which  the  whole  southern  army 
was  devoted  in  South  Carolina.  He  was  among  the  captured 
at  the  unfortunate  surrender  of  general  Lincoln,  at  Charles- 
ton. This  event  was  not  more  calamitous  to  the  public  cause, 
than  it  was  personally  afflicting  to  many  of  the  officers  and 
soldiers  who  were  embraced  in  it;  none,  however,  bore  the 
privations  and  hardships  incident  to  that  capture,  with  more 
fortitude,  than  the  subject  of  this  notice.  In  the  siege  of  York 
Town,  lie  could  participate  only  by  his  presence:  being  yet  on 
his  parole  of  honour,  he  could  give  no  aid  by  his  sword.  His 
feelings,  however,  did  not  permit  him  to  be  absent.  He  watched 
with  anxious  solicitude  the  progress  of  the  siege,  and  had  the 
high  satisfaction  of  witnessing  the  surrender  of  the  British 
army,  commanded  by  a  general  to  whom  he  was  himself  a 
prisoner.  At  the  close  of  the  war,  he  was  the  senior  major 
of  the  Virginia  line. 

All  those  with  whom  in  military  life  he  was  associated,  as 
well  those  from  whom  it  was  his  fortune  to  receive,  as  those 
to  whom  he  gave  command,  bear  willing  evidence  that  he  dis- 
charged every  duty  of  a  faithful  and  excellent  officer. 

In  the  spring  of  1784,  he  went  to  Kentucky,  and  soon  af- 


108  CROPPER* 

terwarda  married  the  lady  who  survives  him,  one  of  the  sisters 
of  the  late  general  George  Rogers  Clarke.  He  fixed  his  re- 
sidence at  his  seat  in  Jefferson  county,  where  tor  thirty  years 
he  fulfilled  every  duty  of  an  independent  country  gentleman, 
dispensing  with  a  most  liberal  and  hospitable  hand,  the  boun- 
ties with  which  Providence  had  abundantly  blessed  him.  His 
house  was  the  seat  of  hospitality  and  plenty. 

Major  Croghan  died  in  September,  is::,  at  Locust  Grove* 
Jefferson  county,  Kentucky,  in  the  seventieth  year  oi  his  age. 

In  his  manners  he  was  eminently  bland  and  polite;  no  one 
excelled  him  in  those  courtesies  which  sweeten  and  polish  life. 
He  was,  indeed,  the  model  of  a  gentleman.  His  reputation 
for  integrity  was  unimpeached  and  Unimpeachable.  His  fa- 
mily and  his  friends,  while  they  rejoice  in  such  a  life,  most 
deeply  mourn  his  death. 

CROPPER,  John,  embarked  early  in  the  cause  of  his 
country,  and  was  chosen  a  captain  in  the  ninth  Virginia  re- 
giment on  continental  establishment,  when  only  nineteen  or 
twenty  years  of  age,  and  marched  in  December,  1776,  to  the 
north  to  join  the  army  under  the  command  of  general  Wash- 
ington. He  was  promoted  from  a  captaincy  in  the  ninth  Vir- 
ginia regiment,  to  a  major  in  the  fifth  Virginia  regiment,  and 
nvas  at  the  battle  of  Brandywino,  when  the  tilth  Virginia 
regiment  was  nearly  cut  to  pieces.  Major  Cropper  then  re- 
treated with  the  remainder  of  the  regiment,  and  lay  concealed 
in  some  hushes  on  the  battle  ground,  until  near  day-break  of 
the  same  night  of  the  engagement:  between  mid-night  and 
day-break  he  stole  off,  and  marched  to  Chester,  with  a  red 
handkerchief  lashed  to  a  ramrod  for  colors.  On  Chester 
bridge,  major  Cropper  was  met  by  general  Washington  and 
general  Woodford.  The  latter  alighted  from  his  horse,  em- 
braced major  Cropper,  and  pressed  him  to  his  bosom,  and 
said,  "He  whom  we  thought  was  lost,  is  found."  He  was 
then  promoted  to  a  lieutenant  colonel  in  the  seventh  Vir- 
ginia regiment,  and  was  at  the  battles  of  Germantown 
and  Monmouth  courthouse.  From  the  seventh  Virginia 
regiment,  he  was  promoted  to  the  command  of  the  eleventh 
Virginia  regiment,  by  the  Marquis  De  La  Fayette,  which  re- 
giment he  commanded  until  his  return  to  Virginia,  on  the  30tU 
of  November,  1782.  The  day  on  which  the  preliminary  ar- 
ticles of  peace  were  signed  at  Paris,  colonel  Cropper  was  en- 
gaged with  commodore  Whaley,  in  the  barge  Victory,  in  the 
Chesapeake  Bay,  against  live  British  barges,  under  the  com- 
mand of  commodore  Perry.  At  the  commencement  of  this 
engagement,  there  were  attached  to  commodore  Whaley's 
squadron  three  other  American  barges,  all  of  which  ran  oft" 
as  soon  as  the  engagement  commenced,  and  left  commodore 


GUSHING.  1Q9 

Whaley  alone  to  contend  with  five  British  barges,  full  man- 
ned.   Commodore  Whaley  had  on  hoard  his  barge  sixty-nine 
men,  principally  citizens  of  the  counties  of  Accomack  and 
Northampton.  About  the  middle  of  the  engagement,  commo- 
dore Whaley's  magazine  took  fire,  at  which  time  several  of 
his  men  were  overboard,  hanging  by  the  rigging;  twenty- 
nine  men  out  of  sixty-nine  were  killed  on  board  commodore 
Whaley's  barge,  together  with  the  commodore  himself.     In 
this  engagement,  colonel  Cropper  had  to  contend  with  two 
white  men  and  one  negro,  all  armed  with  cutlasses  and  board- 
ing pikes,  and  defended  himself  with  a  musket  and  bayonet. 
One  of  the  colonel's  antagonists  struck  him  with  a  cutlass  on 
the  head,  which  nearly  brought  him  down.     In  the  middle  of 
this  individual  contest,  the  negro  discovering  his  young  mas- 
ter to  be  the  person  with  whom  he  and  the  two  whitemen  were 
engaged,  cried  out.   "Save  him;  he  is  my  young  master!" 
General  Cropper  afterwards  set  this  faithful   man  free,  and 
settled  him  in  the  city  of  Baltimore.     He  was  in  the  service 
of   his  country  about   forty-five   years.      Those  who   were 
acquainted  with  him,  know  how  he  discharged  his  duty  in 
every  station  in  which  he  was  placed.     He  retained  to  the 
last  hour  of  his  life  the  veneration  and  love  he  bore  for  ge- 
neral Washington,  the  saviour  of  his  country.     He  tried  to 
imitate  him  in  his  conduct  as  a  soldier  and  citizen.     The 
deeds  of  this  great,  good,  and  illustrious  American,  was  the 
theme  of  general  Cropper  at  all  times.     He  could  not  bear 
to  hear  the  least  whisper  derogatory  to  the  character  of  the 
best  of  men,  and  more  than  once  has  general  Cropper  been 
personally  engaged  to  defend  his  fame.     He  had  the  honour 
to  die  possessed  with  a  written  document  from  the  pen  of 
this  illustrious  personage,  which  evidenced  the  high  opinion 
he   entertained  of  the    worth  of  the  deceased  as  an  officer. 
This  document  wras  treasured  up  as  a  miser  would  treasure 
his  gold,  and  but  few  persons  were  permitted  to  read  it,  or 
hear  it  read. 

General  Cropper  died  at  his  seat  on  Bowman's  Folly,  on 
the  1 5th  of  January,  in  the  sixty-sixth  year  of  his  age. 

CUSHING,  Thomas,  lieutenant  governor  of  the  common- 
wealth of  Massachusetts,  was  born  in  the  year  1725,  and  com- 
pleted his  academical  education,  at  the  university  of  Cam- 
bridge, in  his  native  state. 

While  he  was  very  young,  the  town  of  Boston  called  him 
to  fill  some  of  its  most  respectable  offices,  and  delegated  him 
as  its  representative  to  the  general  court.  In  this  situation 
his  patriotism,  his  abilities,  and  his  faculty  in  dispatching  busi- 
ness, led  the  house  of  Assembly  to  chose  him  their  speaker, 
a  place  which  had  for  many  years  been  filled  by  his  father 


110  GUSHING. 

with  great  reputation.  While  he  was  in  the  chair,  the  centest 
with  Great  Britain  ripened  to  a  conclusion,  and  the  station 
he  held  not  only  called  out  his  exertions  in  the  service  of  his 
country,  but  rendered  him  known,  wherever  the  cause  of  Amer- 
ica was  patronised,  and  indeed  throughout  the  European 
world.  Of  the  two  first  continental  congresses,  which  laid  a 
foundation  for  the  independence  and  happiness  of  this  country, 
he  was  a  judicious  and  an  active  member.  On  his  return  to 
his  own  state,  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  council,  which 
then  constituted  its  supreme  executive.  He  was  also  appointed 
judge  of  the  courts  of  common  pleas,  and  of  probate  in  the 
county  of  Suffolk,  which  stations  he  held  until  the  adoption 
of  the  present  constitution,  when  he  was  called  to  the  office 
of  lieutenant-governor,  in  which  he  continued  until  his  death. 

Under  arbitrary,  or  monarchial  governments,  a  man's 
being  appointed  to,  or  continued  in  an  office,  is  no  certain  evi- 
dence of  his  being  qualified  for  it ;  but  in  governments,  free  like 
ours,  the  appointment  of  a  person  for  a  long  course  of  years  to- 
gether, to  guard  the  interests  of  the  people,  and  to  transact 
their  important  affairs,  is  the  most  incontestible  proof  of  his 
abilities  and  integrity.  This  observation  was  verified  in  Mr. 
Gushing.  He  thoroughly  understood  the  interests  of  his  coun- 
try, and  meant  invariably  to  pursue  them.  Very  few  men 
knew  better  than  he,  how  to  predict  the  consequences  of  the 
public  conduct ;  to  balance  contending  parties ;  to  remove  dif- 
ficulties ;  and  to  unite  separate  and  divided  interests.  His 
life  was  a  state  of  constant  exertion  in  the  service  of  his  coun- 
try ;  its  happiness  was  dear  to  him  in  health ;  it  lay  near  his 
heart  in  his  last  moments ;  and,  while  he  expressed  a  satis- 
faction in  having  honestly  and  uprightly,  in  every  department 
he  had  filled,  aimed  at  doing  good,  he  manifested  the  most 
tender  solicitude,  for  the  peace  and  prosperity  of  America. 

There  was  a  time  when  Mr.  Cushing  was  considered  in 
Great  Britain  as  the  leader  of  the  whigs  in  this  country.  He 
was  not  esteemed  so  in  Boston.  He  had  less  political  zeal 
than  Otis,  or  Adams,  or  Hancock  ;  but  by  his  pleasant  temper, 
his  moderation,  his  conversing  with  men  of  different  parties, 
though  he  sometimes  was  lashed  by  their  strokes  for  want  oi 
firmness,  he  obtained  more  influence  than  either,  except  Mr. 
Hancock.  The  reason  of  his  being  known  so  much  in  the 
mother  country  was,  that  his  name  was  signed  to  all  the  pub- 
lic papers,  as  speaker  of  the  house.  Hence  he  was  sometimes 
exposed  to  the  sarcasms  of  the  ministerial  writers.  In  the 
pamphlet  of  Dr.  Johnson,  called,  "Taxation  no  Tyranny," 
one  object  of  the  Americans  is  said  to  be,  "to  adorn  the 

brows  of  Mr.  C >g  with  a  diadem."     He  had  a  rank 

among  the  patriots,  as  a  sincere  friend  to  the  public  good,  and 


DARKE— DAVIE.  Ill 

lie  was  also  a  friend  to  religion,  which  he  manifested  by  a  con- 
stant  attendance  upon  all  pious  institutions. 

Mr.  Gushing  had  a  firm  constitution,  but  was  subject  to  the 
gout.  It  was  this  disorder,  which  deprived  his  country  of  his 
abilities,  at  a  time,  when  an  important  change  was  agitating 
in  her  political  fabric.  On  the  19th  of  February,  1788,  he 
was  attacked  by  the  gout  in  his  breast,  and,  on  the  28th  of  the 
same  month,  he  died  in  the  sixty-third  year  of  his  age,  hav- 
ing had  the  satisfaction  to  see  the  new  federal  constitution  ra- 
tified by  the  convention  of  Massachusetts,  a  few  days  before 
his  death. 

DARKE,  William,  a  brave  officer  during  the  revolution- 
ary war,  was  born  in  Philadelphia  county,  in  1736,  and  when 
a  boy  accompanied  his  parents  to  Virginia.  In  the  nineteenth 
year  of  his  age,  he  joined  the  army  under  general  Braddock, 
and  shared  in  the  dangers  of  his  defeat,  in  1755.  In  the  be- 
ginning of  the  war  with  Great  Britain,  he  accepted  a  cap- 
tain's commission,  and  served  with  great  reputation  till  the 
close  of  the  war,  at  which  time  he  held  the  rank  of  major.  In 
1791,  he  received  from  congress  the  command  of  a  regiment 
in  the  army  under  general  St.  Clair,  and  bore  a  distinguished 
part  in  the  unfortunate  battle  with  the  Indians  on  the  4th  of 
November,  in  the  sam«,year.  In  this  battle  he  lost  a  favorite 
son,  and  narrowly  escaped  with  his  own  life.  In  his  retire- 
ment during  his  remaining  years,  he  enjoyed  the  confidence  of 
the  state,  which  had  adopted  him.  and  was  honoured  with  the 
rank  of  major  general  in  the  militia.  He  died  at  his  seat  in 
Jefferson  county,  November  26, 1801,  in  the  sixty-sixth  year 
of  his  age. 

DAVIE,  Richardson,  William,  of  North  Carolina,  was 
born  in  the  village  of  Egremont,  near  White  Haven,  in  Eng- 
land, on  the  20th  June,  1756. 

His  father,  visiting  South  Carolina  soon  after  the  peace  of 
1763,  brought  with  him  this  son;  and,  returning  to  England, 
confided  him  to  the  care  of  the  reverend  William  Richardson, 
Iris  maternal  uncle;  who,  becoming  much  attached  to  his 
nephew,  not  only  took  charge  of  his  education,  but  adopted 
him  as  his  son  and  heir.  At  the  proper  age,  William  was  sent 
to  an  academy  in  North  Carolina,  from  whence  he  was,  after 
a  few  years,  removed  to  the  college  of  Nassau-hall  in  Prince- 
ton, New  Jersey,  then  becoming  the  resort  of  most  of  the 
southern  youth,  under  the  auspices  of  the  learned  and  re- 
spectable doctor  Witherspoon.  Here  he  finished  his  educa- 
tion, graduating  in  the  autumn  of  1776,  a  year  memorable  in 
our  military  as  well  as  civil  annals. 

Returning  home,  young  Davie  found  himself  shut  out  for  a 
t  irae  from  the  army,  as  the  commissions  for  the  troops  just  le- 


112  DAVIE. 

vied  had  been  issued.  He  went  to  Salisbury,  where  he  com- 
menced the  study  of  the  law.  The  war  continuing,  contrary 
to  the  expectation  which  generally  prevailed  when  it  began, 
Davie  could  no  longer  resist  his  ardent  wish  to  plant  himself 
among  the  defenders  of  his  country.  Inducing  a  worthy  and 
popular  friend,  rather  too  old  for  military  service,  to  raise  a 
troop  of  dragoons,  as  the  readiest  mode  of  accomplishing  his 
wish,  Davie  obtained  a  lieutenancy  in  this  troop.  Without 
delay  the  captain  joined  the  South  army,  and  soon  afterwards 
returned  home  on  furlough.  The  command  of  the  troop  de- 
volving on  lieutenant  Davie,  it  was  at  his  request  annexed  to 
the  legion  of  count  Pulaski,  where  captain  Davie  continued, 
until  promoted  by  major  general  Lincoln,  to  the  station  of 
brigade  major  of  cavalry.  In  this  office  Davie  served  until 
the  affair  of  Stono,  devoting  his  leisure  to  the  acquirement  of 
professional  knowledge,  and  rising  fast  in  the  esteem  of  the 
general  and  army.  When  Lincoln  attempted  to  dislodge  lieu- 
tenant colonel  Maitland  from  his  intrenched  camp  on  the  Stono, 
Davie  received  a  severe  wound,  and  was  removed  from  camp 
to  the  hospital  in  Charleston,  where  he  was  confined  for  five 
months. 

Soon  after  his  recovery  he  was  empowered  by  the  govern- 
ment of  North  Carolina,  to  raise  a  small  legionary  corps,  con- 
sisting of  one  troop  of  dragoons  and  two  companies  of  mount- 
ed infantry;  at  the  head  of  which  he  was  placed  with  the 
rank  of  major. 

Quickly  succeeding  in  completing  his  corps,  in  whose 
equipment  he  expended  the  last  remaining  shilling  of  an 
estate  bequeathed  to  him  by  his  uncle,  he  took  the  field,  and  was 
sedulously  engaged  in  protecting  the  country  between  Char- 
lotte and  Cambden,  from  the  enemy's  predatory  incursions. 
On  the  fatal  16th  of  August,  he  was  hastening  with  his  corps 
to  join  our  army,  when  he  met  our  dispersed  and  flying  troops. 
He  nevertheless  continued  to  advance  towards  the  conquerer ; 
and  by  his  prudence,  zeal,  and  vigilance,  saved  a  few  of  our 
waggons  and  many  of  our  stragglers.  Acquainted  with  the 
movement  of  Sumpter,  and  justly  apprehending  that  he  would 
be  destroyed  unless  speedily  advised  of  the  defeat  of  Gates, 
he  despatched  instantly  a  courier  to  that  officer,  communica- 
ting what  had  happened,  performing,  in  the  midst  of  distress 
and  confusion,  the  part  of  an  experienced  captain.  The 
abandonment  of  all  the  southern  region  of  North  Carolina, 
which  followed  this  signal  overthrow,  and  the  general  des- 
pondency winch  prevailed,  is  well  known,  and  have  been 
recorded  ;  nor  have  the  fortunate  and  active  services  of 
major  Davie  been  overlooked.  So  much  was  his  conduct  re- 
spected by  the  government  of  North  Carolina,  that  he  was, 


DAVIE.  113 

in  the  course  of  September,  promoted  to  the  rank  of  colonel 
commandant  of  the  cavalry  of  the  state. 

In  this  station  he  was  found  by  general  Greene  on  assuming 
the  command  of  the  Southern  army;  whose  attention  had  been 
occupied  from  his  entrance  into  Morth  Carolina,  in  remedy- 
ing the  disorder  in  the  quarter  master  and  commissary  de- 
partments.    To  the  first  Carrington  had  been  called;  and 
Davie  was  now  induced  to  take  upon  himself  the  last,  muck 
as  he  preferred  the  station  he  then  possessed.      At  the  head 
of  this  department  colonel  Davie  remained  throughout  the 
trying  campaign  which  followed;  contributing  greatly  by  his 
talents,  his  zeal,  his  local  knowledge,   and  his  influence,  to 
the  maintenance  of  the  difficult  and  successful  operations 
which  followed.     While  before  Ninety- Six,  Greene  foresee- 
ing the  difficulties  again  to  be  encountered,   in  consequence 
of  the  accession  of  force  to  the  enemy  by  the  arrival  of  three 
regiments  of  infantry  from  Ireland,  determined  to  send  a  con- 
fidential officer  to  the  legislature  of  North  Carolina,  then  in 
session,  to  represent  to  them  his  relative  condition,   and  to 
urge  their  adoption  of  effectual  measures  without  delay,  for 
the  collection  of  magazines  of  provisions,  and  the  reinforcing 
of  his  army.     Colonel  Davie  was  selected  by  Greene  for  this 
important  mission,   and  immediately  repaired  to  the  seat  of 
government,  where  he  ably  and  faithfully  exerted  himself  to 
give  effect  to  the  views  of  his  general. 

The  events  of  the  autumn  assuring  the  quick  approach  of 
peace,  colonel  Davie  returned  home;  and  having  shortly  af- 
terwards intermarried  with  miss  Sarah  Jones,  daughter  of 
general  Allen  Jones,  of  North  Carolina,  he  selected  the  town 
of  Halifax,  on  the  Roanoke,  for  his  residence;  where  he  re- 
sumed  his  profession,  the  practice  of  law. 

At  the  bar,  colonel  Davie  soon  rose  to  great  eminence;  and 
indeed,  in  a  few  years,  became  one  of  its  principal  leaders 
and  ornaments.  He  was  possessed  of  great  sagacity,  pro- 
found knowledge,  and  masculine  eloquence.  His  manners  were 
conciliatory,  but  imposing  and  commanding.  The  late  Alfred 
Moore,  who  was  afterwards  one  of  the  judges  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States,  and  who  was  a  very  able  lawyer,  as 
veil  as  an  excellent  man,  was  the  intimate  friend  of  colonel 
Davie,  and  his  rival,  in  their  honourable  career  at  the  bar. 
Colonel  Davie  was  appointed  by  the  legislature  of  North  Ca- 
rolina, to  represent  that  respectable  state  in  the  Convention, 
called  at  Philadelphia,  in  the  year  1787. 

Being  at  that  time  a  young  man,  fie  did  not  take  a  prominent 
part  in  the  discussion  which  resulted  in  the  formation  of  that 
constitution,  which  lias  been  so  severely  tested,  and  found  to 
be  so  admirably  adapted  to  the  government  of  our  country, 

15 


il4  DAVIE. 

But  he  there  learnt  the  true  foundations  on  which  the  govern- 
ment was  laid,  and  the  solid  arguments  in  suppport  of  it. 

His  name  does  not  appear  to  that  great  instrument;  the  ill- 
ness of  his  family  having  called  him  home  before  the  labours 
of  the  Convention  were  concluded.  But  when  the  constitution 
was  submitted  to  the  judgment  of  the  state  convention  in 
North  Carolina,  for  its  adoption,  he  stood  forth  its  most  able 
champion,  and  its  most  ardent  supporter. 

The  university  of  North  Carolina,  is  mainly  indebted  to 
his  exertions,  and  to  his  labours,  for  its  establishment,  and 
for  the  assignment  of  permanent  landed  property  for  its  sup- 
port. Colonel  Davie  was  extremely  anxious  upon  this  sub- 
ject, and  exerted  the  utmost  powers  of  his  persuasive  and  com- 
manding eloquence,  to  ensure  success.  He  was  deeply  sen- 
sible of  the  extreme  importance  of  extending,  as  widely  as 
possible,  the  advantages  of  liberal  education,  that  there  might 
be  a  perpetual  succession  of  enlightened  and  liberal  men,  qua- 
lified to  administer  the  affairs  of  this  great  and  increasing 
people  with  wisdom  and  dignity.  He  considered  the  public^ 
liberty  insecure,  and  liable  to  be  disturbed  by  perpetual  fac- 
tions, unless  education  be  widely  diffused. 

Colonel  Davie  was  now  appointed  a  major  general  in  the 
militia  of  North  Carolina;  and  some  time  after,  in  the  year 
1799,  was  elected  governor  of  that  state;  the  duties  of  which 
station  he  performed  with  his  accustomed  firmness  and  wis- 
dom. He  was  not,  however,  permitted  to  remain  long  in  that 
station.  His  country  had  higher  claims  on  his  talents  and 
services. 

The  venerable  Mr.  Adams,  then  president  of  the  United 
States,  anxious  to  make  one  more  effort  to  put  an  end  to  the 
differences  which  subsisted  between  this  country  and  France, 
associated  general  Davie  with  Mr.  Ellsworth  and  Mr.  Mur- 
ray, as  his  ambassadors  on  a  mission  to  France  for  that  pur- 
pose. 

Soon  after  his  return  to  America,  general  Davie  lost  his 
wife,  a  lady  of  lofty  mind  and  exemplary  virtues,  to  whom  he 
was  greatly  attached:  and  not  long  after,  he  took  the  resolu- 
tion to  retire  from  public  life,  and  to  become  a  farmer  on  his 
own  fine  estate  at  Tivoli,  beautifully  situated  on  the  Catawba 
river,  in  Chester  district,  South  Carolina. 

When  war  took  place  between  this  country  and  Britain,  in 
1812,  General  Davie  was  offered  by  the  government  of  his 
country,  a  high  command  in  the  army.  But  his  increas- 
ing infirmities  admonished  him  not  to  assume  duties  be- 
yond his  strength,  which  might  prejudice  the  service, 
instead  of  promoting  it.  The  wounds  received  in  the  re- 
volutionary war,   and  the  rheumatism  from  long  exposure 


DAVIE.  115 

during  his  service,  became  fixed  on  his  constitution,  and  ren- 
dered him  incapable  of  those  active  exertions  which  his  high 
sense  of  duty  would  have  exacted  from  him  as  a  commander. 
He,  therefore,  declined  the  honour  offered  him,  after  a  good 
deal  of  hesitation. 

General  Davie  continued  to  reside  at  his  beautiful  seat,  on 
the  banks  of  the  Catawba,  to  which  travellers  and  visitors 
were  constantly  attracted  by  his  open  hospitality,  his  digni- 
fied manners,  and  elevated  character.  Occasionally  he  made 
excursions  to  the  Warm  Springs,  in  Buncombe  county,  North 
Carolina,  for  relief  from  the.  harassing  rheumatism,  which 
afflicted  and  wasted  him.  On  those  visits  he  was  always 
greatly  admired  by  the  intelligent  strangers  who  visited  that 
place  of  resort  from  all  the  southern  and  south-western  states. 
The  affability  of  his  deportment  gave  easy  access  to  all.  But 
no  person  approached  him,  however  distinguished  by  his 
talents  or  character,  who  did  not  speedily  feel  that  he  was  in 
the  presence  of  a  very  superior  man.  His  great  and  varied 
information,  combined  with  his  profound  knowledge  of  men 
and  things,  made  him  the  most  interesting  of  companions. 
The  ignorant  and  the  learned,  the  weak  and  the  wise,  were 
all  instructed  and  delighted  with  his  conversation,  which  had 
an  irresistible  charm  for  all.  Although  no  man  spoke  more 
plainly  his  opinions  and  sentiments  on  proper  occasions,  he 
had  the  art  of  never  giving  offence. 

At  home,  and  in  his  own  neighborhood,  general  Davie  was 
revered  with  the  highest  filial  piety.  He  was  the  friend  of  the 
distressed,  the  safe  counsellor  of  the  embarrassed,  and  the 
peace  maker  of  all.  His  own  character,  free  from  every 
spot  or  stain,  gave  a  power  to  his  interpositions,  which  was 
irresistible. 

General  Davie  had  a  deep,  and  even  an  awful  sense  of  God 
and  his  providence;  and  was  attached  to  the  principles  and 
doctrines  of  Christianity.  But  he  had  not  attached  himself, 
as  an  avowed  member,  to  any  particular  sect.  He  thought 
they  generally  dogmatized  too  much,  and  shut  the  door  of  chris- 
tian charity  too  closely.  He  devised  a  proper  site  on  his  es- 
tate for  the  erection  of  a  place  of  worship,  to  be  erected  by 
any  Christian  society,  which  should  choose  to  put  up  a 
suitable  building  thereon. 

He  was  a  tall  man,  of  fine  proportions;  his  figure  erect  and 
commanding;  his  countenance  possessing  great  expression; 
and  his  voice  full  and  energetic.  Indeed  his  whole  appear- 
ance struck  the  beholder  at  once,  as  indicating  no  ordinary 
man;  and  the  reality  exceeded  the  appearance. 

Such  was  the  man  who  has  been  taken  from  his  afflicted  fa- 
mily, his  friends,  and  his  country.     He  met  death  with  the 


116  DAVIDSON. 

firmness  of  a  soldier,  and  of  a  man  conscious  of  a  life  well 
spent.  His  memory  is  cherished  by  his  family  and  friends, 
with  the  most  enthusiastic  attachment.  The  good  he  did  sur- 
vives him;  and  he  has  left  a  noble  example  to  the  youth  of  his 
country,  to  encourage  and  to  stimulate  them  in  the  honourable 
career  of  virtue  and  of  exertion.  May  it  be  appreciated  and 
followed. 

DAVIDSON,  William,  lieutenant  colonel  commandant 
in  the  North  Carolina  line,  and  brigadier  general  in  the  mi- 
litia of  that  state,  was  the  youngest  son  of  George  Davidson, 
who  removed  with  Ins  family,  from  Lancaster  county,  in 
Pennsylvania,  in  the  year  1750,  to  Rowan  county,  in  North 
Carolina. 

William  was  born  in  the  year  1746,  and  was  educated  in  a 
plain  country  manner,  at  an  academy  in  Charlotte,  the  county 
town  of  Mecklenburg,  which  adjoins  Rowan. 

Like  most  of  the  enterprising  youth  of  America,  Davidsou 
repaired  to  the  standard  of  his  country,  on  the  commencement 
of  the  revolutionary  war,  and  was  appointed  a  major  in  one 
of  the  first  regiments  formed  by  the  government  of  North  Ca- 
rolina. 

In  this  character,  he  marched  with  the  North  Carolina 
line,  under  brigadier  general  Nash,  to  the  main  army  in  New 
Jersey,  where  he  served  under  the  commander  in  chief,  until 
the  North  Carolina  line  was  detached  in  November,  1770,  to 
reinforce  the  southern  army,  commanded  by  major  general 
Lincoln.  Previous  to  this  event,  major  Davidson  was  pro- 
moted to  the  command  of  a  regiment,  with  the  rank  of  lieu- 
tenant colonel  commandant. 

As  he  passed  through  North  Carolina,  Davidson  obtained 
permission  to  visit  his  family,  from  which  he  had  been  absent 
nearly  three  years.  The  delay  produced  by  this  visit  saved 
him  from  captivity,  as  he  found  Charleston  so  closely  invest- 
ed when  he  arrived  in  its  neighborhood,  as  to  prevent  his  re- 
junction  with  his  regiment. 

Soon  after  the  surrender  of  general  Lincoln  and  his  army, 
the  loyalists  of  North  Carolina,  not  doubting  the  complete 
success  of  the  royal  forces,  began  to  embody  themselves  for 
the  purpose  of  contributing  their  active  aid  in  the  field  to  the 
subsequent  operations  of  the  British  general.  They  were  nu- 
merous in  the  western  parts  of  the  state,  and  especially  in  the 
highland  settlement  about  Cross  creek.  Lieutenant  colonel 
Davidson  put  himself  at  the  head  of  some  of  our  militia,  call- 
ed out  to  quell  the  expected  insurrection.  He  proceeded  with 
vigor  in  the  execution  of  his  trust;  and  in  an  engagement  with 
a  party  of  loyalists  near  Calson's  mill,  he  was  severely 
wounded;  the  ball  entered  the  umbilical  region,  and  passed 


DAVIDSON.  lir 

through  his  hotly  near  the  kidneys.  This  confined  him  for 
eight  weeks;  when  recovering,  he  instantly  took  the  field, 
having  been  recently  appointed  brigadier  general  by  the  go- 
vernment of  North  Carolina,  in  the  place  of  brigadier  general 
Rutherford,  taken  at  the  battle  of  Camden.  He  exerted  him- 
self, in  conjunction  with  general  Sumner  and  colonel  Davie, 
to  interrupt  the  progress  of  lord  Cornwallis  in  his  advance  to- 
wards Salisbury,  and  throughout  that  eventful  period,  gave 
unceasing  evidences  of  his  zeal  and  firmness  in  upholding  his 
falling  country. 

After  the  victory  obtained  by  Morgan  at  the  Cowpens,  Da- 
vidson was  among  the  most  active  of  his  countrymen  in  as- 
sembling the  militia  of  his  district,  to  enable  general  Greene, 
who  had  joined  the  light  corps  under  Morgan,  to  stop  the 
progress  of  the  advancing  enemy;  and  was  detached  by 
general  Greene,  on  the  night  of  the  last  day  of  January,  to 
guard  the  very  ford  selected  by  lord  Cornwallis  for  his  pas- 
sage of  the  Catawba  river  on  the  next  morning.  Davidson 
possessed  himself  of  the  post  in  the  night,  at  the  head  of  three 
hundred  men;  and  having  placed  a  picquet  near  the  shore, 
stationed  his  corps  at  some  small  distance  from  the  ford. 

General  Henry  Lee,  from  whose  "memoirs  of  the  war  in 
the  Southern  department  of  the  United  States,"  we  copy  the 
present  sketch  of  General  Davidson,  gives  the  following  ac- 
count of  the  battle : 

"A  disposition  was  immediately  made  to  dislodge  David- 
son, which  the  British  general,  O'Hara,  with  the  guards  effec- 
ted. Lieutenant  colonel  Hall  led  with  the  light  company, 
followed  by  the  grenadiers.  The  current  was  rapid,  the  stream 
waist  deep,  and  five  hundred  yards  in  width.  The  soldiers 
crossed  in  platoons,  supporting  each  other's  steps.  When 
lieutenant  colonel  Hall  reached  the  middle  of  the  river,  he 
was  descried  by  the  American  centinels,  whose  challenge  and 
fire  brought  Davidson's  corps  into  array.  Deserted  by  his 
guide,  Hall  passed  directly  across,  not  knowing  the  landing 
place,  which  lay  below  him.  This  deviation  from  the  common 
course  rendered  it  necessary  for  Davidson  to  incline  to  the 
right;  but  this  manoeuvre,  although  promptly  performed,  was 
not  effected  until  the  light  infantry  had  gained  the  shore.  A 
fierce  conflict  ensued,  which  was  well  supported  by  Davidson 
and  his  inferior  force.  The  militia  at  length  yielded,  and 
Davidson,  while  mounting  his  horse  to  direct  the  retreat,  was 
killed.  Our  loss  was  small,  excepting  general  Davidson,  an 
active,  zealous,  and  influential  officer.  The  British  lieuten- 
ant colonel  Hall  was  also  killed,  with  three  of  the  light  in- 
fantry, and  thirty-six  wounded.  Lord  Cornwallis's  horse 
was  shot  under  him,  and  fell  as  soon  as  he  got  upon  the  shore. 


118  DICKINSON. 

Leslee's  horses  were  carried  down  the  stream  and  with  diffi- 
culty saved;  and  O'Hara's  tumbled  over  with  him  in  the 
water." 

The  loss  of  brigadier  general  Davidson  would  have  always 
been  felt  in  any  stage  of  the  war.  It  was  particularly  detri- 
mental in  its  effect  at  this  period,  as  he  was  the  chief  instru- 
ment relied  upon  by  general  Greene  for  the  assemblage  of  the 
militia;  an  event  all  important  at  this  crisis,  and  anxiously 
desired  by  the  American  general.  The  ball  passed  through 
his  breast,  and  he  instantly  fell  dead. 

This  promising  soldier  was  thus  lost  to  his  country  in  the 
meridian  of  life,  and  at  a  moment  when  his  services  would 
have  been  highly  beneficial  to  her.  He  was  a  man  of  popular 
manners,  pleasing  address,  active  and  indefatigable.  Ena- 
moured with  the  profession  of  arms,  and  devoted  to  the  great 
cause  for  which  he  had  fought,  his  future  usefulness  may  be  in- 
ferred from  his  former  conduct. 

The  congress  of  the  United  States,  in  gratitude  for  his  ser- 
vices, and  in  commemoration  of  the  sense  of  his  worth,  passed 
the  following  resolution,  directing  the  erection  of  a  monument 
to  his  memory. 

Resolved,  That  the  governor  and  council  of  the  state  of 
North  Carolina  be  desired  to  erect  a  monument,  at  the  expense 
of  the  United  States,  not  exceeding  the  value  of  five  hundred 
dollars,  to  the  memory  of  the  late  brigadier  general  David- 
son, who  commanded  the  militia  of  the  district  of  Salisbury, 
in  the  state  of  North  Carolina,  and  was  killed  on  the  first  day 
of  February  last,  fighting  gallantly  in  the  defence  of  the  li- 
berty and  independence  of  these  states. 

DICKINSON,  John,  a  distinguished  political  writer  and 
friend  of  his  country,  was  the  son  of  Samuel  Dickinson, 
esquire,  of  Delaware.  He  was  a  member  of  the  assembly  of 
Pennsylvania,  in  1764,  and  of  the  general  congress,  in  1765. 
In  November,  1767,  he  began  to  publish  his  celebrated  letters 
against  the  acts  of  the  British  parliament,  laying  duties  on 
paper,  glass,  &c.  They  supported  the  liberties  of  his  country, 
and  contributed  much  to  the  American  revolution.  He  was 
a  member  of  the  first  congress,  in  1774,  and  the  petition  to 
the  king,  which  was  adopted  at  this  time,  and  is  considered  as 
an  elegant  composition,  was  written  by  him. 

He  was  the  author  of  the  declaration  adopted  by  the  con- 
gress of  1775,  setting  forth  the  causes  and  necessity  of  their 
taking  up  arms,  which  declaration  was  directed  to  be  pub- 
lished by  general  Washington,  upon  his  arrival  at  the  camp 
before  Boston,  in  July,  1775.  He  also  wrote  the  second  pe- 
tition to  the  king,  adopted  by  the  same  congress,  stating  the 
merits  of  their  claims,  and  soliciting  the  royal  interposition 


DICKINSON.  119 

for  an  aecommodation  of  differences  on  just  principles.  These 
several  addresses  were  executed  in  a  masterly  manner,  and 
were  well  calculated  to  make  friends  to  the  colonies.  But 
their  petition  to  the  king,  which  was  drawn  up  at  the  same 
time,  produced  more  solid  advantages  in  favour  of  the  Ameri- 
can cause,  than  any  other  of  their  productions.  This  was, 
in  a  great  measure,  carried  through  congress  by  Mr.  Dickin- 
son. Several  members,  judging  from  the  violence  with  which 
parliament  proceeded  against  the  colonies,  were  of  opinion, 
that  farther  petitions  were  nugatory;  but  this  worthy  citizen, 
a  friend  to  both  countries,  and  devoted  to  a  reconciliation  on 
constitutional  principles,  urged  the  expediency  and  policy  of 
trying,  once  more,  the  effect  of  an  humble,  decent,  and  firm 
petition,  to  the  common  head  of  the  empire.  The  high  opinion 
that  was  conceived  of  his  patriotism  and  abilities,  induced  the 
members  to  assent  to  the  measure,  though  they  generally  con- 
ceived it  to  be  labour  lost. 

In  June,  1776,  he  opposed,  openly,  and  upon  principle,  the 
declaration  of  independence,  when  the  motion  was  considered 
by  congress.  His  arguments  were  answered  by  John  Adams, 
Richard  Henry  Lee,  of  Virginia,  and  others,  who  advocated 
a  separation  from  Great  Britain.  The  part  which  Mr.  Dick- 
inson took  in  this  debate,  occasioned  his  recal  from  congress, 
as  his  constituents  did  not  coincide  with  him  in  political 
views,  and  he  was  absent  several  years.  Perceiving,  at 
length,  that  his  countrymen  were  unalterably  fixed  in  their 
system  of  independence,  he  fell  in  with  it,  and  was  as  zealous 
in  supporting  it  in  congress,  about  the  year  1780,  as  any  of 
the  members.  He  was  president  of  Pennsylvania  from  Novem- 
ber, 1782,  to  October,  1785,  and  was  succeeded  in  this  office 
by  Dr.  Franklin.  Soon  after  1785,  it  is  believed,  he  re- 
moved to  Delaware,  by  which  state  he  was  appointed  a  mem- 
ber of  the  old  congress,  and  of  which  state  he  was  president. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  an  address  of  Congress, 
to  the  several  states,  dated  May  26, 1779,  which  was  also  from 
the  pen  of  Mr.  Dickinson  : 

"  Infatuated  as  your  enemies  have  been  from  the  beginning 
of  this  contest,  do  you  imagine  they  can  now  flatter  them- 
selves with  a  hope  of  conquering  you,  unless  you  are  false  to 
yourselves  ? 

"When  unprepared,  undisciplined,  and  unsupported,  you 
opposed  their  fleets  and  armies  in  full  conjoined  force,  then, 
if  at  any  time,  was  conqest  to  be  apprehended.  Yet,  what 
progress  towards  it  have  their  violent  and  incessant  efforts 
made  ?  Judge  from  their  own  conduct.  Having  devoted  you 
to  bondage,  and  after  vainly  wasting  their  blood  and  treasure 
in  the  dishonourable  enterprise,  they  deigned  at  length  to  offer 


m  DICKINSON. 

terms  of  accommodation,  with  respectful  addresses,  to  that 
once  despised  body  the  congress,  whose  humble  supplications, 
only  for  peace,  liberty  and  safety,  they  had  contemptuously  re- 
jected, under  pretence  of  its  being  an  unconstitutional  assem- 
bly. Nay  more,  desirous  of  seducing  you  into  a  deviation 
from  the  paths  of  rectitude,  from  which  they  had  so  far  and 
so  rashly  wandered,  they  made  most  specious  offers  to  tempt 
you  into  a  violation  of  your  faith  given  to  your  illustrious  ally. 
Their  arts  were  as  unavailing  as  their  arms.  Foiled  again, 
and  stung  with  rage,  imbittered  by  envy,  they  had  no  alter- 
native, but  to  renounce  the  inglorious  and  ruinous  controversy, 
or  to  resume  their  former  modes  of  prosecuting  it.  They 
chose  the  latter.  Again  the  savages  are  stimulated  to  horrid 
massacres  of  women  and  children,  and  domestics  to  the  mur- 
der of  their  masters.  Again  our  brave  and  unhappy  brethren 
are  doomed  to  miserable  deaths,  in  goals  and  prison-ships. 
To  complete  the  sanguinary  system,  all  the  "extremities 
of  war"  are  by  authority  denounced  against  you. 

"  Piously  endeavour  to  derive  this  consolation  from  their 
remorseless  fury,  that  "the  Father  of  Mercies"  looks  down 
with  disapprobation  on  such  audacious  defiances  of  his  holy 
laws;  and  be  further  comforted  with  recollecting,  that  the 
arms  assumed  by  you  in  your  righteous  cause  have  not  been 
sullied  by  any  unjustifiable  severities. 

"Your  enemies  despairing,  however,  as  it  seems,  of  the  suc- 
cess of  their  united  forces  against  our  main  army,  have  divid- 
ed them,  as  if  their  design  was  to  harrass  you  by  predatory, 
desultory  operations.  If  you  are  assiduous  in  improving  op- 
portunities, Saratoga  may  not  be  the  only  spot  on  this  conti- 
nent to  give  a  new  denomination  to  the  baffled  troops  of  a  na- 
tion, impiously  priding  herself  in  notions  of  her  omnipotence. 

"Rouse  yourselves,  therefore,  that  this  campaign  may  fin- 
ish the  great  work  you  have  so  nobly  carried  on  for  several 
years  past.  What  nation  ever  engaged  in  such  a  contest,  un- 
der such  a  complication  of  disadvantages,  so  soon  surmount- 
ed many  of  them,  and  in  so  short  a  period  of  time  had  so  cer- 
tain a  prospect  of  a  speedy  and  happy  conclusion.  AVe  will 
venture  to  pronounce,  that  so  remarkable  an  instance  exists 
not  in  the  annals  of  mankind.  We  well  remember  what  you 
said  at  the  commencement  of  this  war.  You  saw  the  immense 
difference  between  your  circumstances,  and  those  of  your  ene- 
mies, and  you  knew  the  quarrel  must  decide  on  no  less  than 
your  lives,  liberties,  and  estates.  All  these  you  greatly  put 
to  every  hazard,  resolving  rather  to  die  freemen  than  to  live 
slaves;  and  justice  will  oblige  the  impartial  world  to  confess 
you  have  uniformly  acted  on  the  same  generous  principle. — 
Consider  how  much  you  have  done,  and  how  comparative!) 


DICKINSON.  121 

little  remains  to  be  done  to  crown  you  with  success.  Perse- 
vere; and  you  insure  peace,  freedom,  safety,  glory,  sovereign- 
ty, and  felicity  to  yourselves*  your  children,  and  your  chil- 
dren's children. 

"Encouraged  by  favors  already  received  from  Infinite  Good- 
ness, gratefully  acknowledging  them,  earnestly  imploring 
their  continuance,  constantly  endeavoring  to  draw  them  down 
on  your  heads  by  an  amendment  of  your  lives,  and  a  conform- 
ity to  the  Divine  will,  humbly  confiding  in  the  protection  so 
often  and  wonderfully  experienced,  vigorously  employ  the 
means  placed  by  Providence  in  your  hands,  for  completing 
your  labors. 

'♦Fill  up  your  battalions;  be  prepared  in  every  part  to  re- 
pel the  incursions  of  your  enemies;  place  your  several  quotas 
in  the  continental  treasury;  lend  money  for  public  uses;  sink 
the  emissions  of  your  respective  states;  provide  effectually  for 
expediting  the  conveyance  of  supplies  for  your  armies  and 
fleets,  and  for  your  allies:  prevent  the  produce  of  the  country 
from  being  monopolized:  effectually  superintend  the  behaviour 
of  public  officers;  diligently  promote  piety,  virtue,  brotherly 
love,  learning,  frugality  and  moderation;  and  may  you  be 
approved  before  Almighty  God,  worthy  of  those  blessings 
we  devoutly  wish  you  to  enjoy." 

He  was  distinguished  by  his  strength  of  mind,  mis- 
cellaneous knowledge,  and  cultivated  taste,  which  were 
united  with  a  habitual  eloquence;  with  an  elegance  of  man- 
ners, and  a  benignity  which  made  him  the  delight  as  well  as 
the  ornament  of  society.  The  infirmities  of  declining  years 
had  detached  him  long  before  his  death,  from  the  busy  scenes 
of  life;  but  in  retirement  his  patriotism  felt  no  abatement. 
The  welfare  of  his  country  was  ever  dear  to  him,  and  he  was 
ready  to  make  any  sacrifices  for  its  promotion.  Unequivo- 
cal in  his  attachment  to  a  republican  government,  he  inva- 
riably supported,  as  far  as  his  voice  could  have  influence, 
those  men  and  those  measures,  which  he  believed  most  friendly 
to  republican  principles.  He  was  esteemed  for  his  upright" 
ness,  and  the  purity  of  his  morals.  From  a  letter  which  he 
wrote  to  James  Warren.  Esquire,  dated  the  25th  of  the  first 
month,  1805,  it  would  seem  that  he  was  a  member  of  the  so- 
ciety of  friends.  He  published  a  speech  delivered  in  the 
house  of  assembly  of  Pennsylvania,  1764;  a  reply  to  a  speech 
of  Joseph  Galloway,  1765;  late  regulations  respecting  the 
colonies  considered,  1765;  letters  from  a  farmer  in  Pennsyl- 
vania to  the  inhabitants  of  the  British  colonies,  1767 — 1768. 

Mr.  Dickinson's  political  writings  were  collected  and  pub- 
lished in  two  volumes  8vo.  1810.  He  died  at  Wilmington,  in 
the  state  of  Delaware,  February  15,  1808,  at  an  advanced  age* 

16 


tag  DICKINSON. 

DICKINSON,  Philemon,  was  born  at  the  seat  of  his 
lather,  near  Dover,  in  the  state  of  Delaware,  on  the  5th 
day  of  April,  1739,  and  received  his  education  in  Philadel- 
phia, under  the  celebrated  teacher  of  that  day,  Dr.  Allison. 
His  father  died  in  the  year  1760,  and  for  several  years  after 
that  event,  he  continued  to  reside  with  his  widowed  mother, 
at  the  place  of  his  birth.  Having  at  length  purchased  a  small 
farm  in  the  neighborhood  of  Trenton,  in  New  Jersey,  he  was 
there  found  at  the  commencement  of  the  revolutionary  war, 
and  was  introduced  into  public  life,  as  a  member  of  the  con^ 
vention,  which  formed  the  constitution  of  that  state.  This 
was  soon  after  followed  by  his  appointment  to  the  command 
of  the  militia  of  New  Jersey.  His  zeal  and  devotion  to  the 
public  cause,  became  immediately  conspicuous,  and  engaged 
him  in  an  enterprise,  which  secured  to  the  army  a  collection 
of  flour  at  that  time  very  essential  to  its  comfort. 

When  general  Washington's  army  was  hutted  near  Mor« 
ristown,  and  labouring  under  that  fatal  malady,  the  small- 
pox, a  line  of  posts  was  formed  along  the  Millstone  river,  in 
the  direction  of  Princeton;  one  of  these,  established  at  Som- 
erset court-house,  was  occupied  by  general  Dickinson,  with  a 
few  hundred  men.  Not  very  distant,  and  on  the  opposite  bank 
of  the  stream,  stood  a  mill,  in  which  a  considerable  quantity 
of  flour  had  been  collected  for  the  use  of  the  troops.  At  this 
time  lord  Cornwallis  lay  at  New  Brunswick,  and  having  re- 
ceived information  of  this  depot,  immediately  despatched  a 
large  foraging  party,  amounting  to  about  four  hundred  men, 
and  upwards  of  forty  wagons,  drawn  by  imported  horses,  of 
the  English  draft  breed,  for  the  purpose  of  taking  possession 
of  it.  The  British  troops  arrived  at  the  mill  early  in  the 
morning,  and  having  loaded  the  wagons  with  the  flour,  were 
about  to  march  on  their  return,  when  general  Dickinson,  at 
the  head  of  an  inferior  force,  which  he  led  through  the  river, 
middle  deep,  attacked  them  with  so  much  spirit  and  effect, 
that  they  instantly  fled,  abandoning  the  whole  of  their  plun- 
der. The  light  in  which  this  affair  was  viewed  by  the  com- 
mander in  chief,  will  appear  by  the  following  extract  of  a 
letter  to  the  president  of  Congress,  dated  Morristow n,  Janu« 
ary  22d,  1777: 

"My  last  to  you  was  on  the  20th  instant.  Since  that,  I 
have  the  pleasure  to  inform  you,  that  general  Dickinson,  with 
about  four  hundred  militia,  has  defeated  a  foraging  party  of 
the  enemy  of  an  equal  number,  and  has  taken  forty  wagons 
and  upwards  of  a  hundred  horses,  most  of  them  of  the  En- 
glish draft  breed,  and  a  number  of  sheep  and  cattle,  which 
they  had  collected.  The  enemy  retreated  w  ith  so  much  pre- 
cipitation, that  general  Dickinson  had  only  an  opportunity  of 


DICKINSON.  |£S 

making  nine  prisoners.  They  were  observed  to  carry  off  a 
great  many  dead  ami  wounded  in  light  wagons.  This  action 
happened  near  Somerset  court-house,  on  Millstone  river. 
General  Dickinson's  behaviour  reflects  the  highest  honour  on 
him;  for  though  his  troops  were  all  raw.  he  led  them  through 
the  river,  middle  deep,  and  gave  the  enemy  so  severe  a  charge, 
that  although  supported  by  three  field  pieces,  they  gave  way, 
and  left  their  convoy." 

Immediately  after  general  Dickinson  had  resumed  his  posi- 
tion on  the  Millstone,  he  waited  on  the  commander  in  chief, 
for  the  purpose  of  receiving  his  orders.  He  found  him  ex- 
ceedingly indisposed,  and  his  spirits  much  depressed,  in  con 
sequence  of  the  gloomy  aspect  of  affairs.  In  the  course  of  a 
long  and  confidential  conversation  between  them,  general 
Washington  observed,  that  the  continental  troops  with  him, 
were  scarcely  sufficient  in  number  to  perform  the  ordinary 
guard  duties,  and  that  out  of  eleven  hundred  men,  eight  hun- 
dred were  under  inoculation  for  the  small-pox.  He  expressed 
great  solicitude,  lest  the  enemy  should  become  acquainted 
with  his  actual  situation:  the  consequence  of  which  might  prove 
fatal  to  the  cause  of  America.  He  particularly  impressed 
upon  general  Dickinson,  the  necessity  of  obtaining  accurate 
information  of  the  views  and  movements  of  the  enemy,  and 
requested  his  utmost  vigilance,  and  most  active  exertions  to 
attain  this  object. 

At  the  close  of  this  interview,  general  Dickinson  returned 
to  his  station,  where  he  heard  with  equal  surprise  and  regret, 
that  an  officer  of  the  militia  had  deserted  to  the  enemy,  and 
had  previously  obtained  from  the  office  of  the  adjutant  gene- 
ral, an  actual  and  correct  return  of  the  American  army, 
which  he  delivered  to  lord  Cornwallis.  then  in  command  at 
New  Brunswick,  through  the  medium  of  colonel  Skinner,  a 
loyalist  in  the  service  of  Great  Britain.  In  consequence  of 
this  information,  his  lordship  formed  the  plan  of  an  attack  on 
the  American  army. 

General  Dickinson  at  once  saw  the  necesssity  of  endea- 
vouring to  remove  the  impression,  made  by  this  act  of  trea- 
chery. Having  in  his  employment  a  spy,  whose  want  of  fide- 
lity lie  had  recently  discovered,  he  resolved  to  make  use  of 
him  on  this  occasion.  Fortunately,  the  man  applied  a  day  or 
two  afterwards,  for  permission  to  visit  New  Brunswick.  This 
was  at  first  positively  refused,  and  at  the  same  time,  it  was 
intimated  to  him.  as  the  reason  of  this  refusal,  that  an  im- 
portant movement  was  in  agitation,  in  the  execution  of  which 
the  utmost  secrecy  was  necessary*  He  was  farther  informed 
that  the  indulgence  of  his  request  at  that  moment,  would  in- 
cur tho  displeasure  of  the  commander  in  chief.  The  curiosity 


U4  DICKINSON. 

of  the  man  being  mtich  excited  by  these  hints,  general  Dick- 
inson at  length  took  him  into  a  private  room,  and  observed, 
that  an  opportunity  was  now  afforded  him  of  rendering  his 
country  a  very  important  service,  for  which  he  should  be  li- 
berally rewarded.  He  then  stated  that  the  return,  which  the 
officer  who  had  deserted  had  in  his  possession,  was  a  forgery, 
intended  to  secure  to  himself  a  favourable  reception  from  the 
enemy:  also,  that  large  bodies  of  troops,  both  from  the  east 
and  the  south,  had  recently  arrived  in  the  vicinity  of  Morris- 
town:  that  from  the  last  returns,  the  American  army,  at  its 
several  positions,  which  might  be  readily  concentrated, 
amounted  to  nearly  twenty  thousand  men;  and  that  an  attack 
on  the  enemy  was  only  delayed, for  the  purpose  of  making  the 
necessary  arrangements,  already  in  great  forwardness;  add- 
ing, that  as  the  capture  of  the  commanding  officer  at  Bruns- 
wick was  an  object  of  the  first  importance,  it  was  material  t» 
ascertain  particularly  the  situation  of  his  quarters  in  the 
town,  and  also  the  force  and  position  of  the  guards,  out 
posts,  &c.  &c. 

The  spy  giving  general  Dickinson  every  assurance,  that  he 
would  faithfully  execute  his  commission,  was  permitted  to 
proceed  on  his  visit.  On  reaching  New  Brunswick,  he  com- 
municated, without  delay,  to  lord  Corn  wall  is,  all  that  passed 
in  the  conversation  between  the  general  and  himself,  which 
induced  his  lordship  to  relinquish  his  meditated  attack. 

"  During  the  fall  of  1777,  general  Dickinson  after  informing 
f<  himself  precisely  of  the  force  and  situation  of  the  enemy  on 
"Staten  Island,  projected  another  expedition  against  that 
"post,  in  the  hope  of  being  able  entirely  to  cut  off  Skinner's 
"brigade  of  loyal  Americans,  which  was  stationed  there. 
f'His  perfect  knowledge  of  the  country  enabled  him  to  make 
"such  a  disposition,  as  promised  success,  and  authorized  a 
"hope  that  his  plan  would  be  executed  as  formed.  He  col- 
"  lected  about  two  thousand  men,  and  requested  from  general 
"Putnam,  a  diversion  on  the  side  of  King's  bridge,  in  order 
«*  to  prevent  a  sudden  reinforcement  from  New  York. 

"Knowing  well  that  success  depended  on  secrecy,  he  had 
"concealed  his  object,  even  from  his  officers,  until  8  o'clock 
"  of  the  night  on  which  it  was  to  be  executed;  yet  by  three  in 
"the  morning,  information  of  the  design  was  given  to  ge- 
"neral  Skinner,  who  was  thereby  put  on  his  guard:  and  on 
*<the  first  alarm,  he  saved  himself  and  his  brigade  by  taking 
"refuge  in  some  works  too  strong  to  be  carried  by  assault. 
"In  the  flight,  a  few  prisoners  were  made,  and  a  few  men 
"killed;  after  which,  general  Dickinson  brought  off  his  party 
"with  a  loss  of  only  three  killed,  and  ten  slightly  wounded. 
"  Soon  after  the  British  army  reached  Philadelphia,  in  the 


DRAYTON.  125 

♦'autumn  of  1777;  count  Donop  crossed  the  Delaware,  with 
"  the  intention,  as  it  was  believed,  of  investing  Red  Bank,  a 
«  post  on  the  Jersey  side  of  the  river.  Immediate  measures 
"  were  taken  to  raise  the  militia  of  that  state:  this  was  ren- 
dered particularly  difficult  at  this  moment,  by  an  event  by 
"  no  means  common.  The  time  for  which  the  governor  was 
"elected  had  expired,  and  no  new  election  had  been  made. 
"The  late  executive,  therefore,  did  not  think  itself  authorised 
"to  take  any  measures,  as  an  executive;  and  had  not  general 
"Dickinson  ventured  to  order  out  the  militia,  by  his  own  au- 
thority, they  could  not  have  been  put  in  motion."  Marshal's 
Life  of  Washington. 

General  Dickinson  was  present  at  the  battle  of  Monmouth, 
with  all  the  militia  he  could  assemble.  He  was  also  a  member  of 
the  council  of  war,  held  on  the  night  before  the  action.  He 
there  took  an  opportunity  of  representing  to  general  Wash- 
ington, that  though  the  militia  might  be  less  efficient  in  the 
field  than  the  regular  troops,  yet  they  were  capable  of  per- 
forming a  very  important  part  in  guarding  the  army  against 
an  attack  that  night:  by  which  the  whole  of  the  continental 
troops  would  have  an  opportunity  of  obtaining  that  repose  they 
so  much  needed  ;  and  if  the  commander  in  chief  would 
confide  to  them  that  honor,  he  would  pledge  himself  that  the 
camp  should  not  be  surprised.  General  Dickinson's  offer 
was  accepted,  and  on  the  following  morning,  before  day-light, 
information  was  conveyed  to  the  commander  in  chief,  that 
the  enemy  had  resumed  his  line  of  march. 

At  the  close  of  the  war  general  Dickinson  retired  to  his 
seat  on  the  banks  of  the  Delaware. 

In  December,  1784,  congress  appointed  three  commission- 
ers to  select  a  spot  for  a  federal  city,  on  either  side  of  the  river 
Delaware,  not  more  than  eight  miles  above,  nor  eight  miles 
below  its  lower  falls.  The  persons  chosen  were  Robert  Mor- 
ris, Esqr.  general  Schuyler,  and  general  Dickinson. 

General  Dickinson  was  a  member  of  the  senate  of  the  Uni- 
ted States  for  several  years,  previously  to  the  removal  of  con- 
gress to  Washington.     He  died  in  February,  1809. 

DRAYTON,  William,  Henry,  an  ardent  patriot,  and  a 
political  writer  of  considerable  eminence,  was  born  in  South 
Carolina,  in  the  year  1 742.  He  spent  his  youth  and  acquired 
his  education  in  England.  Soon  after  he  came  to  manhood, 
he  returned  to  Carolina,  and  there  with  inferior  opportuni- 
ties, but  superior  industry,  prosecuted  his  studies.  In  it  he 
acquired  the  greater  part  of  that  knowledge  for  which  he  Avas 
afterwards  distinguished.  He  first  began  to  write  for  the  pub- 
lic about  the  year  1769.  Under  the  signature  of  "Freeman'' 
he  stated  several  legal  and  constitutional  objections  to  an  as- 


126  DRAYT01S. 

sociation,  or  rather  the  mode  of  enforcing  an  association,  for 
suspending  the  importation  of  British  manufactures,  which 
was  then  generally  signed  by  the  inhabitants.  This  involved 
him  in  a  political  controversy,  in  which  he  was  opposed  by 
Christopher  Gadsden  and  John  Mackenzie.  In  the  year 
1774.  he  wrote  a  pamphlet  under  the  signature  of  "Freeman," 
which  was  addressed  to  the  American  congress.  In  this  h» 
stated  the  grievances  of  America,  and  drew  up  a  bill  of  Ame- 
rican rights.  This  was  well  received.  It  substantially  chalk- 
ed out  the  line  of  conduct  adopted  by  congress,  then  in  session. 
He  was  elected  a  member  of  the  provincial  congress,  which 
sat  in  January,  1775;  and  in  the  course  of  that  year  was  ad- 
vanced to  the  presidency  thereof.  In  the  latter  character  he 
issued  on  the  9th  of  November,  1775,  the  first  order  that  was 
given  in  South  Carolina  for  firing  on  the  British.  The  or- 
der was  addressed  to  colonel  William  Moultrie,  and  directed 
him  "by  every  military  operation  to  endeavor  to  oppose  th* 
passage  of  any  British  naval  armament  that  may  attempt  to 
pass  fort  Johnson."  This  was  before  congress  had  decided 
on  independence,  and  in  the  then  situation  of  Carolina,  was  a 
bold,  decisive  measure. 

Before  the  revolution,  Mr.  Drayton  was  one  of  the  king's 
counsellors,  and  one  of  his  assistant  judges  for  the  province. 
The  first  of  these  offices  he  resigned,  and  from  the  last  he  was 
dismissed  by  the  officers  of  his  Britannic  majesty.  On  the 
formation  of  a  popular  constitution,  he  was  reinstated  in  the 
corresponding  offices  of  the  state,  and  in  the  last  advanced  to 
die  rank  of  chief  justice.  He  published  his  charge  to  the 
grand  jury,  in  April  1776,  which  breathes  all  the  spirit  and 
energy  of  the  mind,  which  knows  the  value  of  freedom,  and  is 
determined  to  support  it. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  the  charge 
"In  short,  I  think  it  my  duty  to  declare  in  the  awful  scat 
of  justice,  and  before  Almighty  God,  that  in  my  opinion,  the 
Americans  can  have  no  safety  but  by  the  Divine  favour,  their 
own  virtue,  and  their  being  so  prudent  as  not  to  leave  it  in  the 
power  of  the  British  rulers  to  injure  them.  Indeed  the  ruinous 
and  deadly  injuries  received  on  our  side;  and  the  jealousies 
entertained,  and  which,  in  the  nature  of  things,  must  daily 
increase  against  us,  on  the  other;  demonstrate  to  a  mind, 
in  the  least  given  to  reflection  upon  the  rise  and  fall  of  em- 
pires, that  true  reconcilement  never  can  exist  between 
Great  Britain  and  America,  the  latter  being  in  subjection  to 
the  former.  The  Almighty  created  America  to  be  indepen- 
dent of  Britain  :  Let  us  beware  of  the  impiety  of  being  back 
ward  to  act  as  instruments  in  the  Almighty  hand,  now  exten- 
ded to  accomplish  his  purpose;  and  by  the  completion  of 


©YER.  U7 

which  alone,  America,  in  the  nature  of  human  affairs,  can  be 
secure  against  the  craft  and  insiduous  designs  of  her  enemies 
ivho  think  her  prosperity  and  power  already  by  far  too 
great.  In  a  word,  our  piety  and  political  safety  are  so 
blended,  that  to  refuse  our  labours  in  this  Divine  work,  is  to 
refuse  to  be  a  great,  a  free,  a  pious,  and  a  happy  people  ! 

"And  now  having  left  the  important  alternative,  political 
happiness  or  wretchedness,  under  God,  in  a  great  degree  in 
your  own  hands,  I  pray  the  Supreme  Arbiter  of  the  affairs 
of  men,  so  to  direct  your  judgment,  as  that  you  may  act  agree- 
ably to  what  seems  to  be  his  will,  revealed  in  his  miraculous 
works  in  behalf  of  America,  bleeding  at  the  altar  of  liber- 
ty." This  being  anterior  to  the  declaration  of  independence 
was  bold  language.  Several  publications  appeared  from  his  pen, 
explaining  the  injured  rights  of  his  country,  and  encouraging 
his  fellow  citizens  to  vindicate  them.  He  has  also  left  a 
manuscript  history  of  the  American  revolution  in  three  folio 
volumes,  brought  down  to  the  end  of  the  year  1778,  which  he 
intended  to  continue  and  publish.  His  country,  pleased  with 
his  zeal  and  talents,  heaped  offices  upon  him.  He  was  appoin- 
ted a  member  of  congress  in  1778  and  1779.  Soon  after  he 
had  taken  his  seat,  British  commissioners  came  to  America, 
with  the  hope  of  detaching  the  states  from  their  alliance  with 
France.  Drayton  took  an  active  and  decided  part  in  favour 
of  the  measures  adopted  by  his  countrymen.  His  letters  pub- 
lished expressly  to  controvert  the  machinations  of  the  British 
commissioners,  were  considered  as  replete  with  irresistible 
arguments,  and  written  in  the  best  style  of  composition. 

He  died  in  Philadelphia,  in  1779,  while  attending  his  duty 
in  congress,  in  the  thirty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a 
statesman  of  great  decision  and  energy,  and  one  of  the  ablest 
political  writers  South  Carolina  has  produced. 

DYER,  Eliphalet,  distinguished  for  his  civil  and  milw 
tary  employments,  was  born  on  the  28th  of  September,  1721, 
in  Windham,  Connecticut.  He  was  educated  at  Yale  college? 
where  he  received  his  first  degree  in  1740.  Soon  after  this, 
he  entered  upon  the  study  of  law,  which  he  pursued  as  a  pro- 
fession. In  1743,  when  he  was  but  twenty  two  years  of  age, 
he  was  appointed  a  justice  of  the  peace  ;  and  in  1745,  he  was 
chosen  a  representative  of  the  town  in  the  general  court,  and 
continued  to  be  elected  to  this  office,  a  few  sessions  excepted, 
until  the  year  1762.  At  the  commencement  of  the  French 
war,  in  1755,  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  one  of  the 
regiments  raised  by  the  colony  of  Connecticut  for  that  ser- 
vice. He  continued  in  the  service,  having  the  command  of  a 
regiment,  during  most  of  the  war,  and  acquired  considerable 
reputation  as  a  faithful  and  brave  officer.     In  1762,  he  was 


128  ELLSWORTH. 

elected  a  member  of  the  Council,  and  continued  in  this  situa^ 
tion  for  several  years.  In  1763,  he  went  to  England,  having 
been  constituted  the  agent  of  the  Susquehanna  Company,  to 
prosecute  their  claims  in  Great  Britain.  At  this  period  a 
spirit  of  jealousy  and  hostility  to  the  rising  prosperity  and 
the  rights  of  the  colonies,  began  to  disclose  themselves  in  the 
parent  country;  of  which,  and  of  the  ultimate  policy  and  de- 
signs of  that  country,  colonel  Dyer  discovered  clear  indica- 
tions, and  communicated  his  views  and  apprehensions  on  his 
return.  He  was  appointed  a  delegate  from  that  state  to  the 
continental  congress,  holden  at  Philadelphia,  in  1766.  He 
was  also  appointed  a  delegate  to  the  congress  of  1774,  which 
preceded  the  commencement  of  the  revolutionary  war  :  and 
during  the  interesting  period  of  this  momentous  contest,  he 
was,  a  considerable  portion  of  the  time,  a  member  of  that 
dignified  and  important  body.  He  was  appointed  a  judge  of 
the  Superior  Court  of  the  state,  and  subsequently  Chief  Jus- 
tice, which  office  he  held  until  the  year  1793,  which  closed  a 
very  protracted  public  life. 

He  died  in  1807,  aged  eighty-six  years,  having  lived  during 
a  very  interesting  period  of  our  history,  and  taken  a  part  in 
many  of  the  important  events  by  which  it  is  characterized. 

ELLSWORTH,  Oliver,  chief  justice  of  the  United  States, 
was  born  at  Windsor,  Connecticut,  April  29,  1745,  and  was 
graduated  at  the  college  in  New  Jersey  in  1766.     He  soon  af- 
terwards commenced  the  practice  of  the  law,  in  which  profes- 
sion he  attained  an  acknowledged  eminence.     His  perceptions 
were  unusually  rapid,  his  reasoning  clear  and  conclusive,  and 
his  eloquence  almost  irresistible.     In  the  year  1777,  he  was 
a  delegate  to  the  continental  congress.     He  found  himself  in  a 
new  sphere ;  but  his  extraordinary  powers  did  not  fail  him, 
and  he  met  the  exigencies  of  the  times  without  shrinking.     In 
1780,  he  was  elected  into  the  council  of  his  native  state,  and 
he  continued  a  member  of  that  body  till  1784,  when  lie  was 
appointed  a  judge  of  the  superior  court.     In  1787,  he  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  convention,  which  framed  the  federal 
constitution.     In  an  assembly,  illustrious  for  talents,  erudi- 
tion, and  patriotism,  lie  held  a  distinguished  place.     His  ex- 
ertions essentially  aided  in  the  production  of  an  instrument, 
which,  under  theDivine  blessing,  has  been  the  main  pillar  of 
American  prosperity  and  glory.     He  was  immediately  after- 
wards a  member  of* the  state  convention,  and  contributed  his 
efforts  towards  procuring  the  ratification  of  that  instrument. 
When  the  federal  government  was  organized  in  1789,  he 
was  chosen  a  member  of  the  senate  of  the  United  States.  This 
elevated  station,  which  he  filled  with  his  accustomed  dignity, 
he  occupied  till  in  March,  J  796.     He  was  then  nominated  by 


ELLSWORTH.  129 

president  Washington,  chief  justice  of  the  supreme  court  of 
the  United  States.  Though  his  attention  had  been  for  many 
years  abstracted  from  the  study  of  the  law,  yet  he  presided  in 
that  high  court  with  the  greatest  reputation.  The  diligence, 
with  which  lie  discharged  his  official  duties,  could  be  equal- 
led only  by  his  inexhaustible  patience.  His  charges  to  the 
jury  were  rich  not  only  in  legal  principles  but  in  moral  senti- 
ments, expressed  in  a  simple,  concise  style,  and  delivered  in 
a  manner,  which  gave  them  a  tenfold  energy  and  impression. 
Towards  the  close  of  the  year  1799,  he  was  appointed  by 
president  Adams  envoy  extraordinary  to  France  for  the  pur- 
pose of  accommodatingexisting  difficulties,  and  settling  a  trea- 
ty with  that  nation.  With  much  reluctance  he  accepted  the 
appointment.  In  conjunction  with  governor  Davie  and  Mr. 
Murray,  his  associates,  he  negociatcd  a  treaty,  which,  though 
it  did  not  answer  the  just  claims  and  expectation  of  the  Ameri- 
can public,  was  undoubtedly  the  best  that  could  be  procured. 
Having  accomplished  tiie  business  of  his  embassy,  he  repaired 
to  England  for  the  benefit  of  the  mineral  waters,  as  his  health 
had  suffered  much  in  his  voyage  to  Europe.  Convinced  that 
his  infirmities  must  incapacitate  him  for  the  future  discharge 
of  his  duties  on  the  bench,  he  transmitted  a  resignation  of  his 
office  of  chief  justice  at  the  close  of  the  year  1800.  On  his  re- 
turn to  Connecticut,  his  fellow  citizens,  desirous  of  still  en- 
joying the  benefit  of  his  extraordinary  talents,  elected  him 
into  the  council ;  and  in  May,  1807,  he  was  appointed  chief 
justice  of  the  state.  This  office,  however,  he  declined,  from 
apprehension  that  he  could  not  long  survive  under  the  pressure 
of  his  distressing  maladies,  and  domestic  afflictions, 

Mr.  Ellsworth  was  admired  as  an  accomplished  advocate, 
an  upright  legislator,  an  able  and  impartial  judge,  a  wise  and 
incorruptible  ambassador,  and  an  ardent,  uniform,  and  inde- 
fatigable patriot,  who  devoted  every  faculty,  every  literary 
acquisition,  and  almost  every  hour  of  his  life  to  his  country*,* 
good.  He  moved  for  more  than  thirty  years  in  a  most,  con- 
spicuous sphere,  unassailed  by  the  shafts  of  slander.  His  in- 
tegrity was  not  only  unimpeached  but  unsuspected.  In  his 
debates  in  legislative  bodies,  he  was  sometimes  ardent,  but 
his  ardor  illuminated  the  subject.  His  purposes  he  pursued 
with  firmness,  independence,  and  intrepidity.  In  private  life 
he  was  a  model  of  social  and  personal  virtue.  He  was  just  in 
his  dealings,  frank,  in  his  communications,  kind  and  obliging 
in  his  deportment,  easy  of  access  to  all,  beloved  and  respected 
by  his  neighbors  and  acquaintance.  Amid  the  varied  honors 
accumulated  upon  him  by  his  country,  he  was  unassuming  ami 
humble.  His  dress,  his  equipage,  and  mode  of  living,  were 
regulated  by  a  principle  of  republican  economy;  but  for  tb@ 

17 


130  FLOYD. 

promotion  of  useful  and  benevolent  designs  lie  communicated 
with  readiness  and  liberality.  The  purity  and  excellence  of 
his  character  are  rare  in  any  station,  and  in  the  higher  walks 
of  life  are  almost  unknown.  He  died  November  26,  1807, 
in  the  sixty  third  year  of  his  age. 

FLOYD,  William,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  declaration 
of  independence,  was  born  on  the  17th  of  December,  1734,  in 
the  county  of  Suffolk,  upon  Long  Island.  He  received  a  li- 
beral education,  and  in  his  young  days  was  passionately  fond 
of  hunting. 

He  embarked,  at  an  early  period,  in  the  controversy  be- 
tween Great  Britain  and  the  colonies,  and  as  it  grew  more 
animated,  became  conspicuous  for  the  zeal  and  ardour  with 
which  he  espoused  the  popular  cause.  There  was  in  his  con- 
duct, both  in  public  and  private  life,  a  characteristic  sincerity 
which  never  failed  to  inspire  confidence;  and  which,  combined 
with  the  warmth  and  spirit  with  which  he  opposed  the  usur- 
pations of  the  British  government,  had  acquired  for  him  an 
extensive  popularity.  It  was,  doubtless,  from  these  conside- 
rations, that  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  delegates  from  INew 
York  to  the  first  continental  congress,  which  met  in  Phila- 
delphia, on  the  5th  of  September,  1774.  In  that  patriotic 
and  venerable  assembly,  he  was  associated  with  men,  whose 
names  are  identified  with  their  country?s  birth,  and  will  long 
be  cherished  in  grateful  remembrance.  Their  proceedings 
had  a  powerful  effect  in  arousing  the  attention  of  the  colonists, 
and  in  directing  it  to  the  true  points  on  which  the  controversy 
with  the  parent  country  rested;  they  were  also  admirably  cal- 
culated, by  their  moderation  and  firmness,  to  conciliate  the 
minds  of  moderate  and  reflecting  men.  It  may.  perhaps,  be 
observed  with  truth,  that  with  all  the  light  which  experience 
affords,  the  most  consummate  wisdom  could  hardly  devise  a 
system  of  measures  better  adapted  to  the  situation  of  the  co- 
lonies at  that  time,  than  those  which  are  recorded  upon  the 
journals  of  the  first  continental  congress. 

Previous  to  his  attendance  in  Congress,  Mr.  Floyd  had 
been  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  militia  of  the  county  of 
Suffolk,  and  upon  his  return,  he  found  Long  Island  menaced 
with  an  invasion  from  a  naval  force  assembled  in  Gardiner's 
bay,  with  the  avowed  object  of  gathering  supplies.  "When 
the  landing  of  the  enemy  was  reported  to  him,  he  promptly 
assembled  the  force  under  his  command,  and  marched  to  the 
point  of  attack.  It  was.  perhaps,  fortunate  for  his  little 
army,  composed  of  raw  and  undisciplined  militia,  that  the 
terror  of  their  approach  left  nothing  for  their  arms  to  ac- 
complish. The  activity  displayed,  however,  had  an  import- 
ant effect,  in  inducing  the  enemy  to  abandon  their  design. 


FLOYD.  131 

In  April,  1775,  having  been  again  chosen  by  the  provincial 
assembly  of  New  York,  a  delegate  to  the  general  congress  of 
the  colonies,  he  took  his  seat  in  the  second  continental  con- 
gress, which  met  in  Philadelphia,  on  the  10th  of  May  follow- 
ing, and  continued  a  constant  attendant  for  more  than  two 
years.  As  a  member  of  this  congress,  general  Floyd  united 
with  his  illustrious  associates  in  boldly  dissolving  the  politi- 
cal bonds  which  connected  the  colonies  to  the  British  crown, 
and  co-operated  in  the  arduous  and  responsible  task  of  array- 
ing them  in  hostility  to  the  British  empire.  Under  circum- 
stances of  danger  and  distress,  with  difficulties  almost  insur- 
mountable, and  embarrassments  the  most  complicated,  they 
were  raised  from  the  posture  of  supplication,  and  clothed  in 
the  armour  of  war. 

During  his  attendance  in  congress,  Long  Island  was  eva- 
cuated by  the  American  troops,  and  occupied  by  those  of 
Great  Britain.  His  family,  in  consequence  of  this  event, 
were  driven  from  their  home  in  great  haste  and  confusion, 
and  were  removed  by  his  friends  into  Connecticut.  The  pro- 
duce and  stock  of  his  estate  were  seized  by  the  enemy,  and 
the  mansion-house  selected  as  a  rendezvous  for  a  party  of 
horse,  by  whom  it  was  occupied  during  the  remainder  of  the 
war.  This  event  was  the  source  of  serious  inconvenience  to 
him,  as  it  precluded  him  from  deriving  any  benefit  from  his 
landed  property  for  nearly  seven  years,  and  left  him  without  a 
house  for  himself  and  his  family. 

On  the  8th  of  May,  1777,  general  Floyd  was  appointed  a 
senator  of  the  state  of  New  York,  uuder  the  constitution  of 
the  state  which  had  then  been  recently  adopted.  On  the  13th 
of  May,  the  provincial  convention  passed  a  resolution,  that 
the  thanks  of  the  convention  be  given  to  him,  and  his  col- 
leagues, "  delegates  of  the  state  of  New  York  in  the  honour- 
able the  continental  congress,  for  their  long  and  faithful 
services  rendered  to  the  colony  of  New  York,  and  to  the  said 
state." 

On  the  9th  of  September,  1777,  he  took  his  seat  in  the  sen^ 
ate  of  New  York,  at  their  first  session  under  the  new  consti- 
tution. This  being  the  first  constitutional  legislature  since 
the  colonial  assembly  was  dissolved,  it  devolved  upon  them  to 
organize  the  government,  and  adopt  a  code  of  laws,  suited  to 
existing  circumstances.  Of  this  body  he  became  a  leading 
and  influential  member,  and  attended  in  his  place,  with  some 
short  intervals,  until  the  6th  of  November,  1778,  when  they 
adjourned. 

On  the  15th  of  October,  1778,  he  was  unanimously  re- 
elected a  delegate  to  the  continental  congress  by  a  joint  ballot 
of  the  senate  and  assembly,  and  on  the  2d  of  January  follow- 


ite  FRANKLIN. 

ing,  resumed  his  seat  in  that  body,  where  lie  soon  became 
actively  employed  on  numerous  committees,  and  continued  in 
attendance  until  the  9th  of  June,  when  he  obtained  leave  ol 
absence. 

In  October.  If79.  he  was  unanimously  re-elected  a  dele- 
gate to  the  continental  congress,  and  attended  in  his  place  on 
the  2d  ol*  December.  On  the  next  day,  be  was  elected  a  mem- 
ber of  the  board  of  admiralty,  and  on  the  13th,  was  chosen  a 
member  of  the  treasury  board.  His  health  having  become- 
impaired,  he  applied  to  congress  to  be  excused  from  the  board 
of  treasury,  and  he  obtained  leave  of  absence. 

In  1780,  general  Floyd  was  again  elected  a  delegate  to 
congress,  and  was  continued  a  delegate,  by  several  successive 
appointments,  until  the  26th  of  April,  1783.  When  he  re- 
turned to  his  home,  he  found  his  estate  despoiled  of  almost 
every  thing  but  the  naked  soil,  through  the  malice  and  cupi- 
dity of  the  tories,  who  had  resorted  thither  for  plunder.  He 
now  declined  are-election  to  congress,  but  by  several  succes- 
sive elections,  continued  a  member  of  the  senate  of  New-York 
until  the  year  1788,  when,  upon  the  adoption  of  the  federal 
constitution,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  first  congress, 
which  met  in  New  York,  on  the  4th  day  of  March.  1789.  At 
the  expiration  of  his  term  of  service,  he  again  declined  a  re- 
election. 

In  1800,  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  electors  of  president  and 
vice  president  of  the  United  States  ;  and  he  performed  a  jour- 
ney of  two  hundred  miles,  to  vote  for  his  early  political  friend 
and  associate,  Mr.  Jefferson. 

In  1801,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  convention  to  re 
vise  the  constitution  of  the  state  of  New  York,  and,  at  a  sub- 
sequent period,  served  twice  as  presidential  elector.    He  was 
also  appointed  an  elector  in  1820,  but  from  the  infirmities  of 
age  could  not  leave  his  home. 

He  died  on  the  4th  day  of  August,  1821,  aged  eighty  seven 
years. 

FRANKLIN.  Benjamin,  a  philosopher  and  statesman, 
was  born  in  Boston,  Massachusetts.  January,  17,  1706.  His 
father  who  was  a  native  of  England,  was  a  soap-boiler  and 
tallow-chandler  in  that  town.  At  the  age  of  eight  years, 
he  was  sent  to  a  grammar  school,  but  at  the  age  of  ten  his 
father  required  his  services  to  assist  him  in  his  business.  Two 
years  afterwards,  he  was  bound  an  apprentice  to  his  brother, 
who  was  a  printer.  In  this  employment  he  made  great  profi- 
ciency, and  having  a  taste  for  books  he  devoted  much  of  his 
leisure  time  to  reading.  So  eager  was  he  in  the  pursuit  of 
knowledge,  that  he  frequently  passed  the  greater  part  of  the 
night  in  his  studies.  He  became  expert  in  the  Socratic  mode  of 


FRANKLIN.  133 

reasoning  by  asking  questions,  and  thus  he  sometimes  embar- 
rassed persons  of  understanding  superior  to  his  own.  In  1721, 
his  brother  began  to  print  the  New  England  Courant,  which 
was  the  third  newspaper  published  in  America.  The  two 
preceding  papers  were  the  Boston  News  Letter  and  Boston 
Gazette.  Young  Franklin  wrote  a  number  of  essays  for  the 
Courant,  which  were  so  well  received,  as  to  encourage  him 
to  continue  his  literary  labors.  To  improve  his  style  he  re- 
solved to  imitate  Addison's  Spectator.  The  method,  which 
he  took,  was  to  make  a  summary  of  a  paper,  after  he  had 
read  it,  and  in  a  few  days,  when  he  had  forgotten  the  expres- 
sions of  the  author,  to  endeavour  to  restore  it  to  its  original 
form.  By  this  means  he  was  taught  his  errors,  and  perceiv- 
ed the  necessity  of  being  more  fully  acquainted  with  the  syno- 
nymous words  of  the  language.  He  was  much  assisted  also 
in  acquiring  a  facility  and  variety  of  expression  by  writing 
poetry. 

At  this  early  period  the  persual  of  Shaftsbury  and  Collins 
made  him  completely  a  sceptic,  and  he  was  fond  of  disputing 
upon  the  subject  of  religion.  This  circumstance  caused  him 
to  be  regarded  by  pious  men  with  abhorrence,  and  on  this  ac- 
count as  well  as  on  account  of  the  ill  treatment,  which  he  re- 
ceived from  his  brother  he  determined  to  leave  Boston.  His 
departure  was  facilitated  by  the  possession  of  his  indenture, 
which  his  brother  had  given  him  about  the  year  1723.  not  from 
friendship,  but  because  the  general  court  had  prohibited  him 
from  publishing  the  New  England  Courant,  and  in  order  that 
it  might  be  conducted  under  the  name  of  Benjamin  Franklin. 
He  privately  went  on  board  a  sloop,  and  soon  arrived  at  New 
York.  Finding  no  employment  here,  he  pursued  his  way  to 
Philadelphia,  and  entered  the  city  without  a  friend  and  with 
only  a  dollar  in  his  pocket,  Purchasing  some  rolls  at  a  ba- 
kers shop,  he  put  one  under  each  arm,  and  eating  a  third, 
walked  through  several  streets  in  search  of  a  lodging.  There 
were  at  this  time  two  printers  in  Philadelphia,  Mr.  Andrew 
Bradford,  and  Mr.  Keimer,  by  the  latter  of  whom  he  was 
employed.  Sir  William  Keith,  the  governor,  having  been  in- 
formed, that  Franklin  was  a  young  man  of  promising  talents, 
invited  him  to  his  house,  and  treated  him  in  the  most  friendly 
manner.  He  advised  him  to  enter  into  business  for  himself, 
and,  to  accomplish  this  object,  to  make  a  visit  to  London  in 
order  that  he  might  purchase  the  necessary  articles  for  a 
printing  office.  Receiving  the  promise  of  assistance,  Frank- 
lin prepared  himself  for  the  voyage,  and  on  applying  for  let- 
ters of  recommendation,  previously  to  sailing,  he  was  told, 
that  they  would  be  sent  on  board.  When  the  letter  bag  was 
opened,  there  was  no  packet  for  Franklin;  and  he  now  dis~ 


134  FRANKLIN. 

covered,  that  the  governor  was  one  of  those  men,  who  love  to 
oblige  every  body,  and  who  substitute  the  most  liberal  pro- 
fessions and  offers  in  the  place  of  active,  substantial  kindness. 
Arriving  in  London  in  1724,  he  was  obliged  to  seek  employ- 
ment as  a  journeyman  printer.  He  lived  so  'economically, 
that  he  saved  a  great  part  of  his  wages.  Instead  of  drinking 
six  pints  of  beer  in  a  day,  like  some  of  his  fellow  labourers, 
he  drank  only  water,  and  he  persuaded  some  of  them  to  re- 
nounce the  extravagance  of  eating  bread  and  cheese  for  break- 
fast, and  to  procure  a  cheap  soup.  As  his  principles  at  this 
time  were  very  loose,  his  zeal  to  enlighten  the  world  induced 
him  to  publish  his  dissertation  on  liberty  and  necessity,  in 
which  he  contended  that  virtue  and  vice  were  nothing  more 
than  vain  distinctions.  This  work  procured  him  the  ac- 
quaintance of  Mandeville  and  others  of  the  licentious  class. 
He  returned  to  Philadelphia  in  October,  1726,  as  a  clerk 
to  Mr.  Denham,  a  merchant,  but  the  deatli  of  that  gentleman 
in  the  following  year,  induced  him  to  return  to  Mr.  Keimer, 
in  the  capacity  of  foreman  in  his  office.  He  was  very  useful 
to  his  employer,  for  he  gave  him  assistance  as  a  letter  foun- 
der. He  engraved  various  ornaments,  and  made  printer's 
ink.  He  soon  began  business  in  partnership  with  Mr.  Mere- 
dith, but  in  1729,  he  dissolved  the  connection  with  him. 
Having  purchased  of  Keimer  a  paper,  which  had  been  con- 
ducted in  a  wretched  manner,  he  now  conducted  it  in  a  style 
which  attracted  much  attention.  At  this  time,  though  desti- 
tute of  those  religious  principles,  which  give  stability  and 
elevation  to  virtue,  he  yet  had  discernment  enough  to  be  con- 
vinced, that  truth,  probity,  and  sincerity,  would  promote  his 
interest,  and  be  useful  to  him  in  the  world,  and  he  resolved  to 
respect  them  in  his  conduct.  The  expenses  of  his  establish- 
ment in  business,  notwithstanding  his  industry  and  economy, 
brought  him  into  embarrassments,  from  which  he  was  reliev- 
ed by  the  generous  assistance  of  William  Coleman  and 
Robert  Grace.  In  addition  to  his  other  employments,  he  now 
opened  a  small  stationer's  shop.  But  the  claims  of  business 
did  not  extinguish  his  taste  for  literature  and  science.  He 
formed  a  club,  which  he  called  'The  Junto,'  composed  of  the 
most  intelligent  of  his  acquaintance.  Questions  of  morality, 
politics,  or  philosophy,  were  discussed  every  Friday  evening, 
and  the  institution  was  continued  almost  forty  years.  As 
books  were  frequently  quoted  in  the  club,  and  as  the  members 
had  brought  their  books  together  for  mutual  advantage,  he 
was  led  to  form  the  plan  of  a  public  library,  which  was  car- 
ried into  effect  in  1731,  and  became  the  foundation  of  that 
noble  institution,  the  present  library  company  of  Philadel- 
phia. In  1732,  he  began  to  publish  Toor  Richard's  Almanac, 


FRANKLIN.  135 

which  was  enriched  with  maxims  of  frugality,  temperance, 
industry,  and  integrity.  So  great  was  its  reputation,  that  he 
sold  ten  thousand  annually,  and  it  was  continued  by  him  about 
twenty-five  years.  The  maxims  were  collected  in  the  last  al- 
manac in  the  form  of  an  address,  called  the  way  to  wealth, 
which  has  appeared  in  various  publications.  In  1736,  he  was 
appointed  clerk  of  the  general  assembly  of  Pennsylvania,  and 
in  1737,  postmaster  of  Philadelphia.  The  first  fire  company 
was  formed  by  him  in  173&.  When  the  frontiers  of  Pennsyl- 
vania were  endangered  in  1744,  and  an  ineffectual  attempt 
was  made  to  procure  a  militia  law,  he  proposed  a  voluntary 
association  for  the  defence  of  the  province,  and  in  a  short 
time  obtained  ten  thousand  names.  In  1747,  he  was  chosen 
a  member  of  the  assembly,  and  continued  in  this  station  ten 
years.  In  all  important  discussions,  his  presence  was  consi- 
dered as  indispensable.  He  seldom  spoke,  and  never  exhi- 
bited any  oratory;  hut  by  a  single  observation  he  sometimes 
determined  the  fate  of  a  question.  In  the  long  controversies 
with  the  proprietaries  or  their  governors,  he  took  the  most 
active  part,  and  displayed  a  firm  spirit  of  liberty. 

He  was  now  engaged  for  a  number  of  years  in  a  course  of 
electrical  experiments,  of  which  he  published  an  account.  His 
great  discovery  was  the  identity  of  the  electric  fluid,  and 
lightning.  This  discovery  he  made  in  the  summer  of  1752. 
To  the  upright  stick  of  a  kite,  he  attached  an  iron  point ;  the 
string  was  of  hemp,  excepting  the  part  which  he  held  in  his 
hand,  which  was  of  silk;  and  a  key  was  fastened  where  the 
hempen  string  terminated.  With  this  apparatus,  on  the  ap- 
proach of  a  thunder  storm,  he  raised  his  kite.  A  cloud  passed 
over  it,  and  no  signs  of  electricity  appearing,  he  began  to- 
despair;  but  observing  the  loose  fibres  of  his  string  to  move 
suddenly  toward  an  erect  position,  he  presented  his  knuckle 
to  the  key,  and  received  a  strong  spark.  The  success  of  this 
experiment  completely  established  his  theory.  The  practical 
use  of  this  discovery  in  securing  houses  from  lightning  by 
pointed  conductors,  is  well  known  in  America  and  Europe. 
In  1753,  he  was  appointed  deputy  postmaster  general  of  the 
British  colonies,  and  in  the  same  year  the  academy  of  Phila- 
delphia, projected  by  him,  was  established.  In  1754,  he  was 
one  of  the  commissioners,  who  attended  the  congress  at  Al- 
bany, to  devise  the  best  means  of  defending  the  country  against 
the  French.  He  drew  up  a  plan  of  union  for  defence  and  ge- 
neral government,  which  was  adopted  by  the  congress.  It  was 
however  rejected  by  the  board  of  trade  in  England,  because 
it  gave  too  much  power  to  the  representatives  of  the  people; 
and  it  was  rejected  by  the  assemblies  of  the  colonies,  because 
it  gave  too  much  power  to  the  president  general.     After  the 


130  FRANKLIN. 

defeat  of  Braddork.  lie  was  appointed  colonel  of  a  regiment 
and  he  repaired  to  the  frontiers,  and  built  a  fort. 

Higher  employments,  however,  at  length  called  him  from 
his  country,  which  he  was  destined  to  serve  more  effectually 
as  its  agent  in  England,  whither  he  was  sent  in  1757.  The 
stamp  act,  by  which  the  British  ministry  wished  to  familiar 
ize  the  Amrricans  to  pay  taxes  to  the  mother  country,  revived 
that  love  of  liberty  which  had  led  their  forefathers  to  a  coun- 
try at  that  time  a  desert;  and  the  colonies  formed  a  congress, 
the  first  idea  of  which  had  been  communicated  to  them  by  Dr. 
Franklin,  at  the  conferences  at  Albany  in  1754.  The  war 
that  was  just  terminated,  and  the  exertions  made  by  them  to 
support  it,  had  given  them  a  conviction  of  their  strength;  they 
opposed  this  measure,  and  the  minister  gave  way,  but  he  re- 
served the  means  of  renewing  the  attempt.  Once  cautioned, 
however,  they  remained  on  their  guard;  liberty  cherished  by 
their  alarms,  took  deeper  root;  and  the  rapid  circulation  of 
ideas  by  means  of  newspapers,  for  the  introduction  of  which 
they  were  indebted  to  the  printer  of  Philadelphia,  united  them 
together  to  resist  every  fresh  enterprise.  In  the  year  1766, 
this  printer,  called  to  the  bar  of  the  house  of  commons,  un- 
derwent that  famous  interrogatory,  which  placed  the  name  of 
Franklin  as  high  in  politics,  as  in  natural  philosophy.  From 
that  time  he  defended  the  cause  of  America,  with  a  firmness 
and  moderation  becoming  a  great  man,  pointing  out  to  the 
ministry  all  the  errors  they  committed,  and  the  consciences 
they  would  produce,  till  the  period  when  the  tax  on  tea,  meet- 
ing the  same  opposition  as  the  stamp  act  had  done;  England 
blindly  fancied  herself  capable  of  subjecting,  by  force,  three 
million  of  men  determined  to  be  free,  at  a  distance  of  one  thou- 
sand leagues. 

In  1766,  he  visited  Holland  and  Germany,  and  received  the 
greatest  marks  of  attention  from  men  of  science.  In  his  pas- 
sage through  Holland,  he  learned  from  the  watermen,  the  ef- 
fect which  the  diminution  of  the  quantity  of  water  in  canals  has 
in  impeding  the  progress  of  boats.  Upon  his  return  to  En- 
gland, he  was  led  to  make  a  number  of  experiments,  all  of 
which  tended  to  confirm  the  observation. 

In  the  following  year,  he  travelled  into  France,  where  he 
met  with  no  less  favourable  reception  than  he  had  experienced 
in  Germany.  He  was  introduced  to  a  number  of  literary  cha- 
racters, and  to  the  king,  Louis  XV. 

He  returned  to  America,  and  arrived  in  Philadelphia  in  the 
beginning  of  May,    1775,  and  was  received  with  all  those 
marks  of  esteem  and  affection,  which  his  eminent  services 
merited.     The  day  after  his  arrival  he  was  elected  by  the  le 
gislature  of  Pennsylvania,  a  member  of  congress. 


FRANKLIN.  187 

Almofit  immediately  on  his  arrival  from  England,  he  wrote 
letters  to  some  of  his  friends  in  that  country,  in  a  strain  fitted 
to  inspire  lofty  ideas  of  the  virtue,  resolution,  and  resources 
of  the  colonies.  "All  America,"  said  he  to  Dr.  Priestley* 
"is  exasperated,  and  more  firmly  united  than  ever.  Great 
frugality  and  great  industry  are  become  fashionable  here. 
Britain,  I  conclude,  has  lost  her  colonies  for  ever*  She  is 
now  giving  us  such  miserable  specimens  of  her  government,^ 
that  we  shall  even  detest  and  avoid  it,  as  a  complication  of 
robbery,  murder,  famine,  fire  and  pestilence.  If  you  flatter, 
yourselves  with  beating  us  into  submission,  you  know  neither 
the  people  nor  the  country.  You  will  have  heard,  before  this 
reaches  you,  of  the  defeat  of  a  great  body  of  your  troops  by 
the  country  people  at  Lexington,  of  the  action  at  Bunker's 
bill,  &c.  Enough  has  happened,  one  would  think,  to  con- 
vince your  ministers,  that  the  Americans  will  fight,  dud  thai 
this  is*  a  harder  nut  to  crack  than  they  imagined.  Britain,  at 
the  expense  of  three  millions,  has  killed  one  hundred  and 
fifty  Yankees  this  campaign.  During  the  same  time  sixty 
thousand  children  have  been  born  in  America.  From  these 
data  the  mathematical  head  of  our  dear  good  friend,  Dr. 
Price,  will  easily  calculate  the  time  and  expense  necessary  to 
kill  us  all,  and  conquer  our  whole  territory.  Tell  him,  as  he 
sometimes  has  his  doubts  and  despondencies  about  our  firm- 
ness, that  America  is  determined  and  unanimous. " 

It  was  in  this  varied  tone  of  exultation,  resentment,  and 
defiance,  that  he  privately  communicated  with  Europe.  The 
strain  of  the  papers  respecting  the  British  government  and 
nation,  which  he  prepared  for  congress,  was  deemed  by  his 
colleagues  too  indignant  and  vituperative;  to  such  a  pitch 
were  his  feelings  excited  by  the  injuries  and  sufferings  of  his 
country,  and  so  anxious  was  he  that  the  strongest  impetus 
should  he  given  to  the  national  spirit.  His  anger  and  his  ab- 
horrence were  real;  they  endured  without  abatement  during 
the  whole  continuance  of  the  system  which  provoked  them ; 
they  wore  a  complexion  which  rendered  it  impossible  to  mis- 
take them  for  the  offspring  of  personal  pique  or  constitutional 
irritability;  they  had  a  vindictive  power,  a  corrosive  energy, 
proportioned  to  the  weight  of  his  character,  and  the  dignity 
of  the  sentiments  from  which  they  sprung. 

It  was  in  this  year  that  Dr.  Franklin  addressed  that  memo- 
rable  and  laconic  epistle  to  his  old  friend  and  companion,  Mr, 
Strahan,  then  king's  printer,  and  member  of  the  British  parlia- 
ment, of  which  the  following  is  a  correct  copy,  and  of  which 
a  fac-simile  is  given  in  the  last,  and  most  correct  edition  of 
his  works  s» 


138  FRANKLIN. 

Philada.  July  5,  1776. 
Mr.  Strahan-, 

You  are  a  Member  of  Parliament,  and  one  of  that  Majo- 
rity which  has  doomed  my  Country  to  Destruction  ■ — You 
have  begun  to  burn  our  Towns,  and  murder  our  People. — 
Look  upon  your  Hands  ! — They  are  stained  with  the  Blood  of 
your  Relations  ! — You  and  I  were  long  Friends  : — You  arc 
now  my  Enemy, — and 

I  am, 

Yours, 

B.  FRANKLIN. 
In  October,  1775,  Dr.  Franklin  was  appointed  by  con- 
gress, jointly  with  Mr.  Harrison  and  Mr.  Lynch,  a  commit- 
tee to  visit  the  American  camp  at  Cambridge,  and,  in  con- 
junction with  the  commander  in  chief,  (general  Washington) 
to  endeavor  to  convince  the  troops,  whose  term  of  enlistment 
was  about  to  expire,  of  the  necessity  of  their  continuing  in  the 
field,  and  persev  ering  in  the  cause  of  their  country. 

He  was,  afterwards,  sent  on  a  mission  to  Canada,  to  endea- 
vor to  unite  that  country  to  the  common  cause  of  liberty. 
But  the  Canadians  could  not  be  prevailed  upon  to  oppose  the 
measures  of  the  British  government. 

It  was  directed  that  a  printing  apparatus,  and  hands,  com- 
petent to  print  in  French  and  English,  should  accompany  this 
mission.  Two  papers  were  written  and  circulated  very  ex- 
tensively through  Canada;  but  it  was  not  until  after  the  expe- 
riment had  been  tried,  that  it  was  found  not  more  than  one 
person  in  five  hundred  could  read.  Dr.  Franklin  was  accus- 
tomed to  make  the  best  of  every  occurrence,  suggested  that  if 
it  were  intended  to  send  another  mission,  it  should  be  a  mis- 
sion composed  of  schoolmasters. 

He  was,  in  1776,  appointed  a  committee  with  John  Adams 
and  Edward  Rutledge,  to  inquire  into  the  powers,  with  which 
lord  Howe  was  invested  in  regard  to  the  adjustment  of  our 
differences  with  Great  Britain.  When  his  lordship  expressed 
his  concern  at  being  obliged  to  distress  those,  whom  he  so 
much  regarded.  Dr.  Franklin  assured  him,  that  the  Ameri- 
cans, out  of  reciprocal  regard,  would  endeavour  to  lessen,  as 
much  as  possible,  the  pain  which  he  might  feel  on  their  ac- 
count, by  taking  the  utmost  cape  of  themselves.  In  the  dis- 
cussion of  the  great  question  of  independence,  he  was  decid- 
edly in  favour  of  the  measure. 

In  July,  1776,  he  was  called  to  add  to  his  federal  duties, 
those  of  president  of  a  convention  held  at  Philadelphia,  for 
the  purpose  of  giving  a  new  constitution  to  the  state  of  Penn- 
sylvania. The  unbounded  confidence  reposed  in  his  sagacity 
and  wisdom,  induced  the  convention  to  adopt  his  favourite 


FRANKLIN.  139 

theory  of  a  plural  executive  and  single  legislature,  which  the 
experience  of  modern  times  has  justly  brought  into  disrepute. 
It  may  be  said  to  be  the  only  instance  in  which  he  cherished 
a  speculation  that  experiment  would  not  confirm. 

Franklin  early  conjectured  that  it  would  become  necessary 
for  America  to  apply  to  some  foreign  power  for  assistance. 
To  prepare  the  way  for  this  step,  and  ascertain  the  probabi- 
lity of  its  success,  he  had.  towards  the  close  of  1775,  opened, 
under  the  sanction  of  congress,  a  correspondence  with  Hol- 
land, which  he  managed  with  admirable  judgment,  as  may  be 
perceived  by  his  letter  to  Mr.  Dumas,  of  Amsterdam,  of  De- 
cember, 1775,  contained  in  the  fifth  volume  of  the  American 
edition  of  his  works.  When,  at  the  end  of  1776,  our  affairs 
had  assumed  so  threatening  an  aspect,  the  hopes  of  congress 
were  naturally  turned  to  Europe,  and  to  France  particularly, 
the  inveterate  and  most  powerful  rival  of  England.  Every 
eye  rested  on  Franklin  as  a  providential  instrument  for  sus- 
taining the  American  cause  abroad;  and  though  he  had  re- 
peatedly signified  from  London,  his  determination  to  revisit 
Europe  no  more,  yet,  having  consecrated  himself  anew  to  the 
pursuit  of  national  independence,  he  accepted,  without  hesi- 
tation, in  his  seventy-first  year,  the  appointment  of  commis- 
sioner plenipotentiary  to  the  court  of  France. 

He  wished,  partly  with  a  view  to  protect  his  person,  in  case 
of  capture  on  the  voyage  across  the  Atlantic,  to  carry  with 
him  propositions  for  peace  with  England,  and  submitted  to 
the  secret  committee  of  congress,  a  series  of  articles,  which 
his  grandson  has  published.  We  are  especially  struck  with 
that  one  of  them  which  asks  the  cession  to  the  United  States, 
of  Canada.  Nova  Scotia,  the  Floridas,  &c.  and  the  explana- 
tion annexed  to  the  article  by  this  long-sighted  statesman,  is 
not  a  little  remarkable.     "  It  is  worth  our  while  to  offer  such 

a  sum for  the  countries  to  be  ceded,  since  the  vacant 

lands  will  in  time  sell  for  a  great  part  of  what  we  shall  give, 
if  not  more;  and  if  we  are  to  obtain  them  by  conquest,  after 
perhaps  a  long  war.  they  will  probably  cost  us  more  than  that 
sum  It  is  absolutely  necessary  for  us  to  have  them  for  our 
own  security:  and  though  the  sum  may  seem  large  to  the  pre- 
sent generation,  in  less  than  half  the  term  of  years  allowed 
for  their  payment,  it  will  be  to  the  whole  United  States  a  mere 
iriilc."  Who  does  not,  on  reading  this  passage,  recollect 
with  gratitude,  and  feel  disposed  to  honour  as  a  master-stroke, 
the  purchase  of  Louisiana,  accomplished  by  Franklin's  suc- 
cessor in  the  mission  to  France? 

In  the  month  of  October,  1776,  our  philosopher  set  sail  on 
his  eventful  mission,  having  first  deposited  in  the  hands  of 
congress,  all  the  money  he  could  raise,  between  three  and  four 


140  FRANKLIN. 

thousand  pounds,  as  a  demonstration  of  bis  confidence  in  their 
cause,  and  an  incentive  for  those  who  might  be  able  to  assist 
it  in  the  same  way.  His  passage  to  France  was  short,  but 
extremely  boisterous.  During  some  part  of  the  month  of 
December,  he  remained  at  the  country-seat  of  an  opulent 
friend  of  America,  in  the  neighborhood  of  Nantz,  in  order 
to  recover  from  the  fatigues  of  the  voyage,  and  to  ascertain 
the  posture  of  American  affairs  at  Paris,  before  be  approach* 
ed  that  capital.  With  his  usual  sound  discretion  he  forbore 
to  assume,  at  the  moment,  any  public  character,  that  he  might 
not  embarrass  the  court  which  it  was  his  province  to  concili- 
ate, nor  subject  the  mission  to  the  hazard  of  a  disgraceful  re- 
pulse. 

From  the  civilities  with  which  be  was  loaded  by  the  gentry 
of  Nantz,  and  the  surrounding  country,  and  the  lively  satis- 
faction with  which  they  appeared  to  view  his  supposed  errand, 
he  drew  auguries  that  animated  him  in  the  discharge  of  his 
first  duties  at  Paris.  The  reception  given  to. him  and  his 
colleagues,  by  M.  de  Vergennes,  the  minister  for  foreign  af- 
fairs, at  the  private  audience  to  which  they  were  admitted, 
towards  the  end  of  December,  was  of  a  nature  to  strengthen 
Itis  patriotic  hopes,  and  eminently  to  gratify  his  personal 
feelings.  The  particular  policy  of  the  French  cabinet  did 
not  admit,  at  this  period,  of  a  formal  recognition  of  the  Ame- 
rican commissioners.  Franklin  abstained  from  pressing  a 
measure  for  which  circumstances  were  not  ripe,  but  urged, 
without  delay,  in  an  argumentative  memorial,  the  prayer  of 
congress  for  substantial  succours. 

History  presents  no  other  case  in  which  the  interests  of  a 
people  abroad  derived  so  much  essential,  direct  aid  from  the 
auspices  of  an  individual ;  there  is  no  other  instance  of  a  con- 
currence of  qualities  in  a  national  missionary,  so  full  and  op 
portune.  Foreign  assistance  had  become,  as  it  was  thought, 
indispensable  for  the  rescue  of  the  colonies  :  France  was  the 
only  sufficient  auxiliary;  and  by  her  intervention,  and  the  in- 
fluences of  her  capital,  alone,  could  any  countenance  or  sup- 
plies be  expected  from  any  other  European  power.  Her  court, 
though  naturally  anxious  for  the  dismemberment  of  the  Bri- 
tish empire,  shrunk  from  the  risks  of  a  war;  and  could  be  pre- 
vented from  stagnating  in  irresolution  only  by  a  strong  current 
of  public  opinion:  Her  people,  already  touched  by  the  causes 
and  motives  of  the  colonial  struggle,  required,  however,  some 
striking,  immediate  circumstance,  to  be  excited  to  a  clamor- 
ous sympathy.  It  was  from  Paris  that  the  impulse  necessary 
to  foster  and  fructify  this  useful  enthusiasm  was  to  be  receiv- 
ed, as  well  by  the  whole  European  continent,  as  by  the  mass 
of  the  French  nation.     At  the  tiipe  when  Franklin  appeared 


FRANKLIN.  141 

jn  Paris,  the  men  of  letters  and  of  science  possessed  a  re- 
markable ascendancy  over  all  movement  and  judgment:  they 
gave  the  tone  to  general  opinion,  and  contributed  to  decide 
ministerial  policy.  Fashion,  too,  bad  no  inconsiderable  share 
in  moulding  public  sentiment  and  regulating  events;  and  at 
this  epoch,  beyond  any  other,  it  was  determined,  and  liable 
to  be  kindled  into  passion,  by  anomalous  or  fanciful  external 
appearances,  however  trivial  in  themselves,  and  moral  asso- 
tions  of  an  elevated  or  romantic  cast. 

Observing  the  predilection  of  the  people  of  France  for  the 
American  cause,  the  rapid  diffusion  of  a  lively  sympathy 
over  the  whole  continent,  the  devotion  of  the  literary  and  fash- 
ionable circles  of  Paris  to  his  objects,  the  diligent  prepara- 
tions for  war  made  daily  in  France,  and  the  frozen  mien  of 
all  the  continental  powers  towards  Great  Britain,  Franklin  did 
not  allow  himself  to  be  discouraged  by  the  reserve  of  the  court 
of  Versailles:  and,  in  order  to  counteract  its  natural  effect,  and 
that  of  other  ad  verse .appearances  upon  the  resolution  of  his  coun- 
trymen, he  emphatically  detailed  those  circumstances,  in  his 
correspondence  with  America;  adding,  at  the  same  time,  ac- 
counts of  tiie  domestic  embarrassments  and  growing  despair 
of  the  enemy. 

When  the,  news  of  the  surrender  of  Burgoync  reached 
France  in  October,  1777,  and  produced  there  an  explosion  of 
public  opinion,  he  seized  upon  the  auspicious  crisis,  to  make 
his  decisive  effort,  by  urging  the  most  persuasive  motives  for 
a  formal  recognition  and  alliance.  The  epoch  of  the  treaty 
concluded  with  the  court  of  Versailles,  on  the  6th  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1778,  is  one  of  the  most  splendid  in  his  dazzling  ca- 
reer. 

In  conjunction  with  Mr.  John  Adams,  Mr.  Jay,  and  Mr. 
Laurens,  he  signed  the  provisional  articles  of  peace,  Novem- 
ber 30,  1782,  and  the  definitive  treaty,  September  SO,  1783. 
While  he  was  in  France  he  was  appointed  one  of  commission- 
ers to  examine  Mesmer's  animal  magnetism.  In  1784,  being 
desirous  of  returning  to  his  native  country,  he  requested  that 
an  ambassador  might  be  appointed  in  his  place,  and  on  the  ar- 
rival of  his  successor,  Mr.  Jefferson,  he  immediately  sailed  for 
Philadelphia,  where  he  arrived  in  September,  1785.  He  was 
received  with  universal  applause,  and  was  soon  appointed  pre- 
sident of  the  supreme  executive  council.  In  1787,  he  was  a 
delegate  to  the  grand  convention,  which  formed  the  constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States.  In  this  convention  he  had  differed 
in  some  points  from  the  majority;  but  when  the  articles  were 
ultimately  decreed,  he  said  to  his  colleagues,  "  We  ought  to 
have  but  one  opinion  ;  the  good  of  our  country  requires  that  the 
resolution  should  he  unanimous  ;"  and  he  signed, 


142  FRANKLIN. 

On  the  17th  of  April,  1790,  in  the  eighty-fourth  year  of  his 
age,  he  expired  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia;  encountering  this 
last  solemn  conflict,  with  the  same  philosophical  tranquility 
and  pious  resignation  to  the  will  of  Heaven,  which  had  distin- 
guished him  through  all  the  various  events  of  his  life. 

He  was  interred,  on  the  21st  of  April,  and  congress  ordered 
a  general  mourning  for  him  throughout  America,  of  one  month. 
In  France,  the  expression  of  public  grief,  was  scarcely  less  en- 
thusiastic. There  the  event  was  solemnized,  under  the  direc 
tion  of  the  municipality  of  Paris,  by  funeral  orations;  and 
the  national  assembly,  his  death  being  announced  in  a  very 
eloquent  and  pathetic  discourse,  decreed  that  each  of  the 
members  should  wear  mourning  for  three  days,  "in  com- 
memoration of  the  event;"  and  that  a  letter  of  condolence,  for 
the  irreparable  loss  they  had  sustained,  should  be  directed 
to  the  American  congress.  Honours  extremely  glorious  to 
his  memory,  and  such,  it  has  been  remarked,  as  were  never 
before  paid  by  any  public  body  of  one  nation,  to  the  citizen 
of  another. 

He  lies  buried  in  the  north-west  corner  of  Christ  church- 
yard; distinguished  from  the  surrounding  dead,  by  the  humility 
of  his  sepulchre.  He  is  covered  by  a  small  marble  slab,  on  a 
level  with  the  surface  of  the  earth:  and  bearing  in  the  single 
inscription  of  his  name,  with  that  of  his  wife.  A  monument 
sufficiently  corresponding  to  the  plainness  of  his  manners, 
little  suitable  to  the  splendor  of  his  virtues. 

He  had  two  children,  a  son  and  a  daughter,  and  several 
grand-children  who  survived  him.  The  son,  who  had  been 
governor  of  New-Jersey,  under  the  British  government,  ad- 
hered, during  the  revolution,  to  the  royal  party,  and  spent  the 
remainder  of  his  life  in  England.  The  daughter  married 
Mr.  Bache,  of  Philadelphia,  whose  descendants  yet  reside  in 
that  city. 

Franklin  enjoyed,  during  the  greater  part  of  his  life,  a 
healthy  constitution,  and  excelled  in  exercises  of  strength  and 
activity.  In  stature  he  was  above  the  middle  size ;  manly, 
athletic,  and  well  proportioned.  His  countenance,  as  it  is 
represented  in  his  portrait,  is  distinguished  by  an  air  of  sere- 
nity and  satisfaction;  the  natural  consequences  of  a  Aigorous 
temperament,  of  strength  of  mind,  and  conscious  integrity : 
It  is  also  marked,  in  visible  characters,  by  deep  thought  and 
inflexible  resolution. 

The  whole  life  of  Franklin,  his  meditations  and  his  labours, 
have  all  been  directed  to  public  utility ;  but  the  grand  object 
that  he  had  always  in  view,  did  not  shut  his  heart  against  pri- 
vate friendship ;  he  loved  his  family,  and  his  friends,  and  was 
extremely  beneficent.     In  society  he  was  sententious,  but  not 


FORREST.  143 

Uuent;  a  listner  rather  than  a  talker:  an  informing  rather  than  a 
pleasing  companion  :  impatient  of  interruption,  he  often  men- 
tioned the  custom  of  the  Indians,  who  always  remain  silent 
some  time  before  they  give  an  answer  to  a  question,  which 
they  have  heard  attentively  ;  unlike  some  of  the  politest  socie- 
ties in  Europe,  where  a  sentence  can  scarcely  be  finished  with- 
out interruption.  In  the  midst  of  his  greatest  occupations  for 
the  liberty  of  his  country,  he  had  some  physical  experiments 
always  near  him  in  his  closet ;  and  the  sciences,  which  he  had 
rather  discovered  than  studied,  afforded  him  a  continual  source 
of  pleasure.  He  made  various  bequests  and  donations  to  cities, 
public  bodies  and  individuals. 

The  following  epitaph  was  written  by  Dr.  Franklin,   for 
himself,  when  he  was  only  twenty  three  years  of  age,  as  ap- 
pears by  the  original  (with  various  corrections)  found  among 
his  papers,  and  from  which  this  is  a  faithful  copy. 
"The  bod v  of 
BENJAMIN  FRANKLIN, 

PRINTER, 

(Like  the  cover  of  an  old  book, 

Its  contents  torn  out, 

And  stript  of  its  lettering  and  gilding,) 

Lies  here,  food  for  worms  : 

But  the  work  shall  not  be  lost, 

For  it  will  (as  he  believed)  appear  once  more. 

In  a  new,  and  more  elegant  edition, 

Revised  and  corrected 

by 

THE  AUTHOR." 
FORREST,  Uriah,  a  brave  and  intrepid  officer  in  the  re 
volutionary  war,  was  born  in  St.  Mary's  county,  in  the  state 
of  Maryland,  in  the  year  seventeen  hundred  and  fifty-six. 
At  the  commencement  of  the  revolutionary  war,  between 
Great  Britain  and  her  then  colonies,  when  quite  a  youth,  full 
of  ardor  and  courage,  he  early  joined  the  standard  of  his 
country,  and  commenced  his  military  career  with  zeal  and 
patriotism.  He  entered  the  army  as  a  lieutenant  in  one  of 
the  Maryland  regiments,  and  such  was  his  zeal,  good  con- 
duct, and  intrepidity,  that  he  wras,  during  the  war,  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  lieutenant  colonel  in  the  continental  army. — 
At  the  battle  of  Germantown.  high  in  the  confidence  of  his 
officers  and  men,  he  distinguished  himself  by  his  bravery, 
and  in  the  heat  of  the  action  lost  a  leg.  An  amputation 
above  the  knee,  was  deemed  necessary.  This  wound  ren- 
dered him  for  the  remainder  of  the  war,  incapacitated  for 
active  military  command.  He  invigorated  by  his  precepts, 
dispelled  despondency  by  his  example,  and  encouraged  hi? 


144  GADSDEN, 

men  to  submit  to  their  many  privations,  by  the  cheerfulness 
with  which  he  participated  in  their  wants.  He  imparted  the 
energy  of  his  mind  to  all  associated  with  him,  and  infused  a 
high  toned  spirit  wherever  he  was. 

Upon  his  restoration  to  health  and  usefulness,  he  was  ap- 
pointed auditor  of  his  native  state;  and  after  the  close  of  the 
war,  he  was  selected  as  a  member  of  congress,  under  the  old 
confederation.  Immediately  after  the  adoption  of  the  present 
constitution  of  the  United  States,  he  was  again  elected  a 
member  of  congress.  He  was  also,  at  various  periods, 
chosen  by  his  fellow  citizens,  a  member  of  the  senate  and 
house  of  delegates  of  the  state  of  Maryland. 

He  was  happy  in  penetrating  into  the  secret  designs  of 
others,  never  disclosing  more  of  his  own  inclinations  than 
was  necessary  for  the  purpose  at  hand.  His  carriage  was 
generally  uniform,  and  unaffectedly  affable;  his  conversation 
enlivened  by  his  vivacity;  his  knowledge  and  understanding 
strikingly  quick,  and  his  talents  to  gain  popularity,  were  al- 
most absolute.  He  possessed  great  penetration  and  discern- 
ment, with  a  sagacity  not  easily  imposed  on;  with  an  industry 
and  vigilance  indefatigable;  rather  an  easy  debater,  with  a 
great  command  of  his  passions  and  affections,  raising  him  su- 
perior to  more  improved  minds. 

Some  time  previous  to  his  death,  he  was  appointed  a  major 
general  in  the  militia  of  the  state  of  Maryland.  He  was  a 
man  of  a  liberal  and  strong  mind,  and  from  his  talents  be- 
came distinguished  in  every  situation  in  which  he  was  placed, 

GADSDEN,  Christopher,  lieutenant  governor  of  South 
Carolina,  and  a  distinguished  friend  of  his  country,  was  born 
about  the  year  1724.  So  high  was  his  reputation  in  the  co- 
lony in  which  he  lived,  that  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  de- 
legates to  the  congress,  which  met  at  New  York,  in  October, 
1765,  to  petition  against  the  stamp^act. 

Judge  Johnson,  in  his  life  of  general  Greene,  says,  "There 
was  at  least  one  man  in  South  Carolina,  who,  as  early  as 
1762,  foresaid  and  foretold  the  views  of  the  British  govern- 
ment, and  explicitly  urged  his  adherents  to  the  resolution  to 
resist  even  to  death.  General  Gadsden,  it  is  well  known, 
mid  there  are  still  living  witnesses  to  prove  it,  always  favour- 
ed the  most  decisive  and  energetic  measures.  He  thought  it 
a  folly  to  temporise,  and  insisted  that  cordial  reconciliation 
on  honourable  terms,  was  impossible.  When  the  news  of  the 
repeal  of  the  stamp-act  arrived,  and  the  whole  community 
was  in  extacy  at  the  event,  he,  on  the  contrary,  received  it 
with  indignation,  and  privately  convening  a  party  of  his 
friends  beneath  the  celebrated  Liberty-Tree,  he  there  haran- 
gued them  at  considerable  length  on  the  folly  of  relaxing  their 


GADSDEN.  i4S 

opposition  and  vigilance,  or  indulging  the  fallacious  hope, 
that  Great  Britain  would  relinquish  her  designs  or  preten- 
sions.    He  drew  their  attention  to  the  preamble  of  the  act, 
and  forcibly  pressed  upon  them  the  absurdity  of  rejoicing  at 
an  act  that  still  asserted  and  maintained  the  absolute  domi- 
nion  over  them.     And  then  reviewing  all  the  chances  of  suc- 
ceeding in  a  struggle  to  break  the  fetters  whenever  again  im- 
posed on  them,  he  pressed  them  to  prepare  their  minds  for  the 
event.     The  address  was  received  with  silent  but  profound 
devotion,  and  with  linked   hands,  the  whole  party  pledged 
themselves  to  resist;  a  pledge  that  was  faithfully  redeemed 
when  the  hour  of  trial  arrived.     It  was  from  this  event  that 
the  Liberty-Tree  took   its  name.     The  first  convention  of 
South  Carolina  held  their  meeting  under  it." 

He  was  also  chosen  a  member  of  the  congress  which  met 
in  1774;  and  on  his  return  early  in  1776,  received  the  thanks 
of  the  provincial  assembly  for  his  services.  He  was  among 
the  first  who  advocated  republican  principles,  and  wished  to 
make  his  country  independent  of  the  monarchical  government 
of  Great  Britain. 

During  the  siege  of  Charleston,  in  1780,  he  remained  with- 
in the  lines  with  five  of  the  council,  while  governor  Rutledge, 
with  the  other  three,  left  the  city,  at  the  earnest  request  of  gen- 
eral Lincoln.  Several  months  after  the  capitulation,  he  was 
taken  out  of  his  bed  on  the  27th  of  August,  and,  with  most  of 
the  civil  and  military  officers,  transported  in  a  guard-ship  to 
St.  Augustine.  This  was  done  by  the  order  of  lord  Cornwal- 
lis,  and  it  was  in  violation  of  the  rights  of  prisoners  on  parole*, 
Guar  Is  were  left  at  their  houses,  and  the  private  papers  of 
some  of  them  were  examined.  A  parole  was  offered  at  St. 
Augustine,  but  such  was  the  indignation  of  lieutenant  govern- 
or Gadsden,  at  the  ungenerous  treatment  which  he  had  receiv- 
ed, that  he  refused  to  accept  it,  and  bore  a  close  confinement 
in  the  castle  for  forty-two  weeks,  with  the  greatest  fortitude. 

Garden,  in  his  anecdotes  of  the  revolutionary  war,  gives  the 
following  interesting  particulars  :  "  The  conduct  of  the  Bri- 
tish commanders  towards  this  venerable  patriot,  in  the 
strongest  manner  evinced  their  determination  rather  to  crush 
the  spirit  of  opposition,  than  by  conciliation  to  subdue  it. 
The  man  did  not  exist  to  w  hose  delicate  sense  of  honour,  even 
a  shadow  of  duplicity  would  have  appeared  more  abhorrent 
than  general  Gadsden.  Transported  by  an  arbitrary  decree, 
with  many  of  the  most  resolute  and  influential  citizens  of  the 
republic,  to  St.  Augustine,  attendance  on  parade  was  peremp- 
torily demanded;  when  a  British  officer  stepping  forward, 
said,  'Expediency,  and  a  series  of  political  occurrences,  have 
Tendered  it  necessary  to  remove  you  from  Charleston  to  iks* 

19 


[46  GADSDEN. 

place;  but,  gentlemen,  we  have  no  wish  to  increase  your  suf- 
ferings; to  all,  therefore,  who  arc  willing  to  give  their  pa- 
roles, not  to  go  beyond  the  limits  prescribed  to  them,  the  li- 
berty of  the  town  will  be  allowed;  a  dungeon  will  be  the  des- 
tiny of  such  as  refuse  to  accept  the  indulgence."  The  pro- 
position was  generally  acceded  to.  But  when  general  Gads- 
den was  called  to  give  this  new  pledge  of  faith,  he  indignant- 
ly exclaimed,  'With  men  who  have  once  deceived  me,  1  can 
enter  into  no  new  contract.  Had  the  British  commanders  re- 
garded the  terms  of  the  capitulation  of  Charleston,  I  might 
now,  although  a  prisoner,  under  my  own  roof,  have  enjoyed 
the  smiles  and  consolations  of  my  surrounding  family;  but 
even  without  a  shadow  of  accusation  proffered  against  me,  for 
any  act  inconsistent  with  my  plighted  faith,  I  am  torn  from 
them,  and  here,  in  a  distant  land,  invited  to  enter  into  new 
engagements.  I  will  give  no  parole.'  'Think  better  of  it,  sir,' 
said  the  officer,  'a  second  refusal  of  it  will  fix  your  destiny: 
a  dungeon  will  be  your  future  habitation.'  'Prepare  it,  then,' 
said  the  inflexible  patriot,  'I  will  give  no  parole,  .so  help  me 
God.' 

"When  first  shut  up  in  the  castle  of  St  Augustine,  the  com- 
fort of  a  light  was  denied  him  by  the  commandant  of  the  for- 
tress. A  generous  subaltern  offered  to  supply  him  with  a 
candle,  but  lie  declined  it,  least  the  officer  should  expose  him- 
self to  the  censure  of  his  superior. 

"After  Andre's  arrest,  colonel  Glazier,  the  governor  of  the 
castle,  sent  to  advise  general  Gadsden  to  prepare  himself  for 
the  worst;  intimating,  that  as  general  Washington  had  been 
assured  of  retaliation,  if  Andre  was  executed,  it  was  not  un- 
likely that  general  Gadsden  would  be  the  person  selected.  To 
this  message  he  replied,  'That  he  was  always  prepared  to  die 
for  his  country;  and  though  he  knew  it  was  impossible  for 
Washington  to  yield  the  right  of  an  independent  state  by  the 
law  of  war,  to  fear  or  affection,  yet  he  would  not  sin  ink  from 
the  sacrifice,  and  would  rather  ascend  the  scaffold  than  pur- 
chase with  his  life  the  dishonor  of  his  country." 

In  1782,  when  it  became  necessary,  by  the  rotation  estab- 
lished, to  choose  a  new  governor,  he  w  as  elected  to  this  office; 
but  he  declined  it  in  a  short  speech  to  the  following  effect.  "I 
have  served  my  country  in  a  variety  of  stations  for  thirty 
years,  and  I  would  now  cheerfully  make  one  of  a  forlorn  hope 
in  an  assault  on  the  lines  of  Charleston,  if  it  was  probable, 
that,  with  the  loss  of  life,  you,  my  friends,  would  be  reinstat- 
ed in  the  possession  of  your  capital.  What  I  can  do  for  my 
country  I  am  willing  to  do.  My  sentiments  in  favor  of  the 
American  cause,  from  the  stamp  act  downwards,  have  never 
changed.     I  am  still  of  opinion,  that  it  is  the  cause  of  liberty 


GANSEVOORT.  147 

^ind  of  human  nature.  The  present  times  require  the  vigor 
•and  activity  of  the  prime  of  life:  hut  I  feel  the  increasing  in- 
firmities of  old  iige  to  such  a  degree,  that  I  am  conscious  1  can- 
not serve  von  to  advantage.  I  therefore  heg.  for  your  sakes, 
and  for  the  sake  of  the  public,  that  you  would  indulge  me  with 
the  liberty  of  declining  the  arduous  trust.'*  Re  continued, 
however,  his  exertions  for  the  good  of  his  country,  hoth  in  the 
assembly  and  council,  and  notwithstanding  the  injuries  he 
had  suffered,  and  the  immense  loss  of  his  property,  he  zeal- 
ously opposed  the  law  for  confiscating  the  estates  of  the  ad- 
herents to  the  British  government,  and  contended  that  sound 
policy  required  to  forgive  and  forget. 

The  editor  will  here  give  an  extract  from  an  oration  deliv- 
ered at  the  city  of  Washington,  on  the  fourth  of  July,  18 12, 
by  Richard  Rush,  Esq.  where  he  refers  to  the  patriotism  of 
the  venerable  Gadsden.  He  said,  "By  one  of  the  surviving 
patriots  of  our  revolution.  I  have  been  told,  that  in  the  congress 
of  1774.  among  other  arguments  used  to  prevent  a  war,  and 
separation  from  Great  Britain,  the  danger  of  having  our 
towns  battered  down  and  burnt,  was  zealously  urged.  Th$ 
venerable  Christopher  Gadsden,  of  South  Carolina,  rose,  and 
replied  to  it  in  these  memorable  words:  "Our  sea-port  towns, 
Mr.  President,  are  composed  of  brick  and  wood.  If  they  arc 
destroyed,  we  have  clay  and  timber  enough  to  rebuild  them. 
Bat.  if  the  liberties  of  our  country  arc  destroyed,  where  shall 
we  find  the  materials  ro  replace  them?"  Behold  in  this  an  ex- 
ample of  virtuous  sentiment  fit  to  be  imitated."  He  died  Sep 
tember,  1805.  aged  eighty-one  years. 

GANSEVOORT,  Peter,  was  horn  in  the  city  of  Albany, 
on  the  16th  of  July,  1749,  and  was  educated  in  the  state  of 
New  Jersey.  In  his  youth  he  indicated  a  great  fondness  for 
martial  exercises,  and  displayed  an  open,  generous  and  manly 
character.  Previously  to  the  revolutionary  war,  he  raised  a 
company  of  grenadiers,  distinguished  alike  for  the  correct- 
ness of  their  discipline  and  the  grandeur  of  their  appearance, 
(every  man  being  at  least  six  feet  in  height.) 

On  the  19th  of  July,  1775,  he  was  appointed  by  congress  a 
major  in  the  second  New  York  regiment,  and  on  the  19th  of 
August,  took  command  of  the  second  battalion  of  tile  New 
York  forces,  marched  to  Ticonderoga.  and  joined  the  expedi- 
tion under  general  Montgomery.  On  the  19th  of  March, 
1776,  he  was  appointed  by  congress  lieutenant  colonel  of  that 
regiment,  and  on  the  2 1st  of  November,  in  the  same  year, 
colonel  of  the  third  regiment,  in  the  army  of  the  United 
States, 

On  the  2d  of  August,  1777,  the  memorable  siege  of  Stan- 
wix  took  place,  the  defence  of  which  fortress  was  certainly 


148  GANSEVOORT. 

one  of  the  most  brilliant  links  in  the  chain  of  successes  which 
effected  the  emancipation  of  our  country. 

During  the  siege  of  fort  Stanwix  by  colonel  St.  Leger, 
with  a  body  of  Britons,  tories,  and  Indians,  general  Herki- 
mer collected  about  eight  hundred  of  the  Whig  militia  of  the 
parts  adjacent,  for  the  relief  of  the  garrison.  St.  Leger, 
aware  of  the  consequences  of  being  attacked  in  his  trenches, 
detached  sir  John  Johnson,  with  some  tories  and  Indians  to 
lie  in  ambush,  and  intercept  the  advancing  militia.  The  stra- 
tagem took  effect.  The  general  and  his  militia  were  sur- 
prised, but  several  of  the  Indians  were  nevertheless  killed  by 
their  fire.  A  scene  of  confusion  followed.  Some  of  Herki- 
mer's men  run  off,  but  others  posted  themselves  behind  logs, 
and  continued  to  fight  with  bravery  and  success.  The  loss 
on  the  side  of  the  Americans,  was  one  hundred  and  sixty  kill- 
ed, besides  the  wounded.  Among  the  former  was  their  gal- 
lant leader,  general  Herkimer.  He  was  wounded  in  both 
legs,  and  a  short  time  before  his  death,  was  seen  sitting  on  a 
stump,  courageously  encouraging  his  men,  by  which  they  main- 
tained their  ground,  and  did  great  execution  among  the  ene- 
my. Several  of  the  Indian  chiefs  were  slain  by  the  first  fire, 
which  so  disheartened  the  remainder,  that  they  were  thrown 
into  the  greatest  confusion. 

Colonel  Gansevoort,  the  commander  of  the  fort,  sent  out 
lieutenant  colonel  Willet,  with  two  hundred  and  fifty  men, 
who  bravely  routed  the  Indians  and  tories,  destroyed  their 
provisions,  and  took  their  kettles,  blankets,  and  muskets,  be- 
sides several  Indian  weapons,  and  other  articles  greatly  valued 
by  them.  A  party  of  British  regulars  endeavoured  to  form 
an  ambuscade,  and  to  cut  off  his  retreat  to  the  fort,  but  he 
discovered  and  defeated  the  attempt. 

Colonel  St.  Leger  availed  himself  of  the  terror  excited  on 
this  occasion,  and  endeavoured,  by  strong  representations  of 
Indian  barbarity,  to  intimidate  the  garrison  into  an  imme- 
diate surrender. 

We  here  insert  a  copy  of  a  letter  written  by  two  of  general 
Herkimer's  officers,  prisoners  with  the  enemy,  and  which  w  as 
delivered  at  the  time  of  the  verbal  summons  to  surrender.  (De- 
livered by  colonel  Butler  and  the  adjutant  general  of  St.  Led- 
ger's army:) 

9  o'clock,  P.  M.  Camp  before  Fort  Stanwix, 
6th  August  1777. 

"  Sir, 

"  It  is  with  concern  we  are  to  acquaint  you,  that  this  was 
the  fatal  day  in  which  the  succours,  which  were  intended 
for  your  relief,  have  been  attacked  and  defeated,  with  great 
loss  of  numbers  killed,  wounded,  and  taken  prisoners.     Our 


GANSEVOORT.  149 

regard  for  your  safety  and  lives,  and  our  sincere  advice  to 
you  is,  if  you  will  avoid  inevitable  ruin  and  destruction,  to 
surrender  tliefort  you  pretend  to  defend  against  a  formidable 
body  of  troops,  and  a  good  train  of  artillery,  which  we  are 
witnesses  of;  When,  at  tbe  same  time  you  have  no  farther 
support  or  relief  to  expect.  We  are  sorry  to  inf  irm  you  that 
most  of  the  principal  officers  are  killed,  to  wit:  general  Her- 
kimer, colonels  Cox,  Seeber,  Isaac  Paris,  captain  Grous,  and 
many  others,  too  tedious  to  mention.  The  British  army  from 
Canada  being  now  perhaps  before  Albany,  the  possession  of 
which  place  of  course  includes  the  conquest  of  the  Mohawk 
liver  and  this  fort. 

f*  We  arc  with  wishes  for  your  welfare  and  safety, 
Sir, 

Your  friends  and  well  wishers, 
Major  JOHN  FREY, 
Colonel  FREDERICK  BELLINGER." 
To  Colonel  Ganscvoort,  commanding  Fort  Stanwix. 

On  the  back  of  the  foregoing  letter,  was  the  following  en- 
dorsement: 

'*  General  St.  Lcger,  on  the  day  of  the  date  of  this  letter, 
made  a  verbal  summons  of  the  fort,  by  his  adjutant  general 
and  colonel  Butler,  and  who  there  handed  this  letter,  when  co- 
lonel Ganscvoort  refused  any  answer  to  a  verbal  summons, 
unless  made  by  general  St.  Leger  himself,  but  at  the  mouth  of 
his  cannon.  A  written  summons  was  the  result,  on  the  9th 
of  August,  as  follows: 
"Sir, 

"Agreeably  to  your  wishes,  I  have  the  honour  to  give  you, 
on  paper,  the  message  of  yesterday,  though  I  cannot  conceive, 
explicit  and  humane  as  it  was,  how  it  could  admit  of  more 
than  one  construction.  After  the  defeat  of  the  reinforcement, 
and  the  fate  of  all  your  principal  leaders,  on  which  naturally 
you  built  your  hopes,  and  having  the  strongest  reason  from 
verbal  intelligence,  and  the  matter  contained  in  the  letters 
that  fell  into  my  hands,  and  knowing  thoroughly  the  situation 
of  general  Burgoyne's  army,  to  be  confident  that  you  are  with- 
out resource;  in  my  fears  and  tenderness  for  your  personal 
safety  from  the  hands  of  Indians,  enraged  for  the  loss  of  some  of 
their  principal  and  most  favourite  leaders,  I  called  to  council 
the  chiefs  of  all  the  nations,  and  after  having  used  every  method 
that  humanity  could  suggest,  to  soften  their  minds  and  lead 
them  patiently  to  bear  their  own  losses,  by  reflecting  on  the 
irretrievable  misfortune  of  their  enemy,  I  at  last  laboured  the 
point  my  humanity  wished  for;  which  the  chiefs  assured  me 
of  the  next  morning,  after  a  consultation  with  each  nation, 
that  evening  at  their  fire-places.     Their  answer,  in  its  fullest 


150  GANSEVOORT. 

« 
extent,  they  insisted  should    be  carried  by  colonel  Butler, 
which  he  has  given  you  in  the  most  categorical  manner.  You 
are  well  acquainted,  that  Indians  never  send  messages  with- 
out accompanying  them  with  menaces    on  non-compliance, 
that  a  civilized  enemy  would  never  think  of  doing;  you  may 
rest  assured,  therefore,  that  no  insult  was  meant  to  be  offered 
to  your  situation  by  the  king's  servants,  in  the  message  they 
peremptorily  demanded  to  be  carried  by  colonel  Butler.     I 
am  now  to  repeat  what  has  been  told  you  by   my  adjutant 
general:  'That,  provided  you  deliver  up  your  garrison,  with 
every  tiling  as  it  stood  at  the  moment  the  first  message  was* 
sent,  your  people  shall  be  treated  with  every  attention  that  a 
humane  and  generous  enemy  can  give. 
"  I  have  the  honour  to  be,  Sir, 

Your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

BARRY  ST.  LEGER, 
Brigadier  general  of  His  Majesty's  forces. 
Camp  before  Fort  Stanwix,  August  9th,  1777. 

"P.  S.  I  expect  an  immediate  answer,  as  the  Indians  are 
extremely  impatient;  and  if  this  proposal  is  rejected,  I  am 
afraid  it"  will  be  attended  with  very  fatal  consequences,  not 
only  to  you  and  your  garrison,  but  the  whole  country  down 
the  Mohawk  river;  such  consequences  as  would  be  very  re- 
pugnant to  my  sentiments  of  humanity,  but,  after  this,  entirely 
out  of  my  power  to  prevent. 

BARRY  ST.  LEGER. 
To  Colonel  Gansevoort,  commanding  Fort  Stanwix.'* 
Colonel  Gansevoorfs  Answer. 
"  Sir, 

"In  answer  to  your  letter  of  this  day's  date,  I  have  only  to 
gay,  that  it  is  my  determined  resolution,  with  the  forces  under 
my  command,  to  defend  this  fort  at  every  hazard  to  the  last 
extremity,  in  behalf  of  the  United  American  States,  who 
have  placed  me  here  to  defend  it  against  all  their  enemies. 
"  I  have  the  honour  to  be, 
Sir, 

Your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 

PETER  GANSEVOORT, 
Colonel  commanding  Fort  Stanwix. 
The  siege  continued  until  the  22d  of  August,  1777,  when 
St.  Leger  had  advanced  to  within  one  hundred  and  fifty 
yards  of  the  fort.  Ignorant  of  the  fate  of  colonel  Willett. 
his  second  in  command,  who,  with  lieutenant  Stockwell,  had 
undertaken  a  hazardous  enterprise  to  procure  relief  for  the 
garrison,  his  provisions  daily  exhausting,  some  of  his  officers 
anxious  to  accept  the  proffered  protection  of  St.  Leger,  from 
*he  fury  of  the  savages,  by  making  a  timely  surrender,  all 


GANSEVOORT.  151 

communication  with  the  fort  cut  off  by  the  besiegers,  and  hav- 
ing no  certain  prospect  of  relief,  Gansevoort,  who  knew  not 
how  to  yield  when  he  was  guarding  bis  country's  honour  and 
safety,  had  adopted  the  desperate  resolution,  in  case  no  rein- 
forcement should  arrive,  before  his  provisions  were  reduced  to 
a  few  day's  supply,  (after  distributing  them  among  his  men.) 
to  head  the  brave  remnant  of  his  garrison,  and  fight  his  way 
at  night  through  the  enemy,  or  perish  in  the  attempt.  Those 
who  knew  him  best,  knew  how  well  he  dared  to  execute  his 
resolves. 

On  the  4th  of  October,  1777,  congress  passed  a  vote  of 
thanks,  and  appointed  him  colonel  commandant  of  fort  Stan- 
wix. The  intention  of  Congress  was  ,kto  give  a  substantial 
as  well  as  honourable  testimony  of  the  sense  they  entertained 
of  his  services,  and  to  make  such  a  provision  for  him,  as  he 
might  feel  the  effects  of,  even  in  time  of  peace,  by  putting  him 
on  a  similar  footing  with  the  military  governors  of  forts  in 
Europe."  This  is  the  language  of  judge  Duer,  in  a  letter  to 
general  Lincoln,  then  secretary  at  war.  Judge  Duer  was  a 
member  of  the  board  of  war  which  recommended  the  resolu- 
tion, and  also  a  member  of  congress  when  it  was  adopted.  In 
the  fall  of  the  year  1778,  he  was  ordered  by  general  Wash- 
ington from  fort  Stanwix  to  Schenectady,  and  in  the  spring 
of  the  year  1779,  he  was  ordered  by  him  to  join  the  army  un- 
der general  Sullivan  in  the  western  expedition.  At  the  head 
of  a  chosen  party  from  the  whole  army,  be  distinguished  him- 
self by  surprising  the  lower  Mohawk  castle,  capturing  all  the 
Indian  inhabitants  by  the  celerity  of  his  movements,  and  a  hu- 
mane and  generous  treatment  of  the  prisoners.  In  the  year 
1781,  the  reduction  of  the  army  took  place,  and  being  a  junior 
colonel,  he  was  left  out.  Anxious  to  be  retained  in  active 
service,  and  believing  that  his  commission  as  colonel  comman- 
dant of  fort  Stanwix  was  not  affected  by  this  arrangement  he 
explained  his  situation  to  genera!  Washington,  and  requested 
orders  to  join  the  army.  General  Washington  immediately 
addressed  the  president  of  congress  on  the  subject. 

Head  Quarters,  New  Windsor, 
February  9  th,  1781. 

"Sir, 

"  Colonel  Gansevoort  has  applied  to  me  on  a  subject  which 
I  am  under  the  necessity  of  referring  to  congress,  as  they 
alone  are  competent  to  decide  upon  it. 

"On  the  4th  of  October,  1777,  congress  were  pleased  to  pass 
a  resolution  of  thanks  to  colonel  Gansevoort,  and  to  the  offi- 
cers and  men  under  his  command,  for  the  bravery  and  perse- 
verance displayed  in  the  defence  of  fort  Schuyler,  appointing 
him,  as  a  reward,  colonel  commandant  of  the  same.   He  also 


15fl  GANSEVOORT. 

received  a  special  commission  as  colonel  commandant  of  fort 
Schuyler. 

"It happens,  that  colonel  Gansevoort  heing  junior  to  colo- 
nels Van  Schaick  and  Cortlandt,  has  heen  ohliged  to  retire  on 
the  new  arrangement,  but  he  conceives  that  a  general  regu- 
lation of  this  kind  does  not  vacate  a  commission  granted  by 
special  authority  for  a  particular  reason:  he,  therefore,  still 
consMers  himself  as  an  officer  in  service. 

f*  I  shall  be  happy  to  know  the  sense  of  congress  on  this  point 
as  soon  as  may  be  convenient. 

"I  have  the  honour  to  be,  with  perfect  respect, 

Your  Excellency's  most  obedient  servant, 

GEO:  WASHINGTON. 
His  Excellency,  Samuel  Huntington  Esq. 

President  of  Congress,  Philadelphia. 
By  the  United  States,  in  Congress  assembled,  March  6th,  1 782. 

Resolved,  That  colonel  Gansevoort  be  informed,  that  al- 
though Congress  have  a  high  sense  of  his  military  abilities  and 
courage,  particularly  displayed  in  the  defence  of  fort  Schuyler, 
in  1777.  yet  it  is  impracticable  with  the  present  arrangement' of 
the  army  to  reinstate  him  therein,  without  manifest  injury  to 
other  officers;  he  having  been  deranged  as  a  junior  colonel  of 
that  line,  and  his  regiment  incorporated  agreeably  to  the  prin- 
ciples prescribed  in  the  resolution  of  congress,  of  the  3d  and 
21st  of  October,  1780. 

CHARLES  THOMSON,  Secretary. 

In  the  mean  time  the  state  of  New  York  having  appointed 
liim  a  Brigadier  General,  he  marched  against  the  Vermont  in- 
surgents ;  after  which  he  was  appointed  a  Major  General.  At 
the  close  of  the  war,  he  retired  to  Northumberland,  in  the 
county  of  Saratoga,  and  devoted  his  attention  to  agricultural 
pursuits,  until  the  year  1790,  when  he  was  appointed  Sheriff 
of  the  then  extensive  county  of  Albany,  which  office  he  re- 
signed in  October,  1792. 

He  afterwards  was  appointed  one  of  the  commissioners  for 
fortifying  the  northern  and  western  frontiers  of  the  state  of 
New  York,  and  to  hold  treaties  with  the  Indians,  on  the  part 
of  the  United  States.  In  May,  1802,  he  was  appointed  by 
president  Jefferson,  military  agent  of  the  northern  department 
of  the  United  States,  which  he  resigned  in  February,  1809, 
when  he  was  appointed  by  president  Madison,  a  brigadier  ge- 
neral in  the  army  of  the  United  States,  in  which  service  he 
continued  until  his  death,  which  took  place  on  the  2d  of  July, 
1812.  The  preceding  year,  he  presided  at  the  court  martial 
whirh  convened  at  Fredericktown,  in  Virginia,  for  the  trial 
of  general  Wilkinson;  in  returning  from  which  place,  in  the 
winter  of  1812,  he  was  seized  with  a  cold,  which  terminated 


GATES.  153 

his  life,  in  the  sixty-third  year  of  his  age.  He  descended  to 
the  grave,  regretting  that  he  could  not  be  spared  to  serve  his 
country  in  the  second  war  of  its  independence.  Fort  Ganse- 
voort,  erected  in  1812 — 13,  in  the  harbour  of  New  York,  was 
named  in  honour  of  him. 

In  general  Gansevoort  were  united  most  of  those  excellent 
qualities,  which  dignify  and  adorn  the  human  character.  His 
person  was  noble  and  majestic,  (his  height  heing  six  feet, 
three  inches.)  His  mind  fearless,  magnanimous  and  ener- 
getic ;  his  disposition  amiable  and  indulgent ;  his  manners 
easy  and  engaging.  He  was  regardless  of  wealth,  and  plain 
and  unostentatious  in  his  habits  of  life:  as  a  republican, 
he  was  firm  in  principle,  and  inflexible  in  practice;  main- 
taining through  life,  the  most  pure  and  unimpeachable  moral 
and  political  integrity.  Above  all,  general  Gansevoort  was 
a  christian. 

GATES,  Horatio,  was  a  native  of  England,  and  was 
born  in  1728.  The  condition  of  his  family,  the  incident  and 
prospects  of  his  youth,  and  his  education,  we  are  not  able  to 
communicate  any  particulars.  There  is  reason  to  believe  that 
he  entered  the  army  very  early,  and  began  his  career  as  an 
ensign  or  lieutenant;  yet,  we  are  told,  that  he  obtained,  by 
merit  merely,  the  rank  of  major,  and  was  aid-de-camp  to  the 
British  officer  who  commanded  at  the  capture  of  Martin ico. 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  war  in  1748,  he  was  stationed  some 
time  at  Halifax.,  in  Nova  Scotia.  At  that  period,  if  the  date 
of  his  birth  be  accurate,  his  age  did  not  exceed  twenty  years. 

He  continued  in  the  army,  and,  probably,  in  some  American 
garrison,  during  the  ensuing  seven  years  of  peace.  A  new 
war  then  broke  out  in  Germany,  and  North  America,  and 
Mr.  Gates,  in  quality  of  captain  of  foot,  attracts  our  notice  in 
the  earliest  and  most  conspicuous  scene  of  that  war.  He  was 
in  the  army  which  accompanied  the  unfortunate  Braddock,  in 
the  expedition  against  Fort  du  Quesne,  and,  together  with  the 
illustrious  AVashington,  was  among  the  few  officers,  who,  on 
that  occasion,  escaped  with  life.  He  did  not  escape,  howe- 
ver, without  a  very  dangerous  wound,  which  for  a  time,  shut 
him  out  from  the  bloody  and  perilous  scenes  of  that  long  and 
diversified  contest.  He  remained  in  America  to  the  peace  of 
1763,  and  then  returned  to  his  native  country  with  a  full 
earned  reputation  for  activity,  enterprise,  and  courage. 

At  the  opening  of  the  American  war  we  find  him  settled  on 
a  farm  in  Virginia.  At  what  time  he  laid  down  the  military 
life,  and  returned  to  spend  the  rest  of  his  days  in  the  new 
world,  we  are  not  informed;  but  his  conduct  evinced  so  per- 
fect an  attachment  to  his  new  country,  and  his  military  repu- 
tation was  so  high,  that  he  was  immediately  appointed  by  con- 

20 


GATES. 

gress.  adjutant-general,  with  the  rank  of  brigadier-general, 
in  the  new  army.  General  Washington  was  well  acquainted 
with  his  merits  "in  his  military  character,  anil  warmly  recom- 
mended him  to  congress  on  this  occasion.  They  had  been 
fellow-soldiers  and  sufferers  under  Braddock. 

From  this  period,  he  took  a  very  active  part  in  most  of  the 
transactions  of  the  war,  and  his  abilities  and  good  fortune 
placed  him  in  a  rank  inferior  only  to  Washington,  and  above 
any  other  general.  He  accompanied  the  commander  in  chief 
to 'Massachusetts,  in  July,  1775,  and  was  employed  for  some 
time  in  a  subordinate,  but  highly  useful  capacity. 

In  1776,  general  Gates  was  appointed  to  the  chief  com- 
mand of  theiforces  destined  against  Ticonderoga  and  Crown 
Point. 

In  the  spring  of  1777,  he  was  appointed,  with  Schuyler, 
from  a  subordinate,  to  the  chief  command  on  the  northern 
frontier.  In  May,  of  the  same  year,  he  was  superseded  by- 
Schuyler,  nor  was  it,  until  after  Burgoyne,  with  his  well  ap- 
pointed legions  had  reached  Ticonderoga,  that  he  resumed 
the  command.  This  place  commanded  by  Sinclair,  was  evk- 
cuated  without  a  siege,  on  the  5th  of  July.  The  rt treating 
army  under  Sinclair,  was  hotly  pursued,  overtaken  and  de- 
feated. Fort  Ann  and  Skeensborough  were  occupied  by  the 
enemy,  and  all  attempts  to  check  his  further  progress  appear- 
ed wholly  desperate. 

At  this  crisis  a  small  delay  in  the  advance  of  Burgoyne, 
from  Skeensborough,  rendered  necessary  by  the  natural  diffi- 
culties of  the  country,  was  diligently  employed  by  general 
Schuyler.  That  meritorious  officer  contrived  to  raise  the 
most  formidable  impediments  to  the  further  progress  of  Bur- 
goyne, by  breaking  down  the  bridges,  obstructing  the  navi- 
gation of  Wood-creek,  choking  up  the  roads  or  pathways 
through  the  forest,  by  felled  trees,  and  by  driving  of  all  the 
cattle  of  the  neighbouring  country.  These  obstructions  were 
so  formidable  that  Burgoyne  did  not  arrive  at  fort  Edward, 
on  the  upper  branches  of  the  Hudson,  till  twcnt}-five  days  af- 
ter his  pause  at  Skeensborough.  Here,  a  painful,  unseasonable, 
and  dangerous  pause,  was  again  necessary,  in  order  to  pro- 
cure provisions  from  the  posts  in  the  rear,  and  to  collect  the 
boats  and  other  vessels  necessary  for  the  navigation  of  the 
Hudson. 

The  progress  of  Burgoyne  was  arrested  at  the  very  point 
where  it  should  seem  all  obstacles,  of  any  moment,  where  fully 
surmounted.  He  had  reached  tlie  Hudson,  by  a  most  painful 
and  laborious  march  through  the  forest,  and  a  detachment  of 
his  army  under  St.  Leger,  who  had  been  directed  to  ap- 
proach the  Hudson  by  another  road,  had  nearly  effected  this 


GATES.  155 

purpose.  St.  Leger  had  gained  a  battle,  and  was  now  be- 
sieging fort  Schuyler,  the  surrender  of  which  was  necessary 
to  the  further  co-operation  of  the  British  generals,  and  was 
confidently  anticipated.  The  tide  of  events,  however,  now 
suddenly  took  a  new  direction. 

Fort  Schuyler  refused  to  surrender,  and  the  assault  of  the 
besiegers  made  very  little  impression  on  the  works.  The  In- 
dians, who  composed  a  large  part  of  St.  Leger's  army,  began  to 
display  their  useful  fickleness  and  treachery,  and  after  many 
efforts  made  by  the  British  general  to  detain  them,  finally 
resolved  to  withdraw.  This  created  an  absolute  necessity /  , 
for  raising  the  siege,  which  was  done  with  great  precipita- 
tion, and  with  the  loss  of  all  their  camp  equipage  and  stores. 

On  the  other  side,  the  strenuous  exertions  of  general  Schuy- 
ler had  deprived  Burgoyne  of  all  those  resources  which  the 
neighboring  country  might  have  afforded  him.  After  a  fort- 
night's labor,  he  had  been  able  to  collect  only  twelve  boats, 
and  five  day's  provision  for  his  army.  An  attempt  to  obtain 
possession  of  a  depository  of  provisions  at  Bennington,  had 
failed,  and  two  detachments,  sent  on  that  service,  had  been 
defeated.  The  militia  of  the  eastern  and  lower  country  were 
rapidly  collecting,  and  threatened  to  raise  obstacles  still  more, 
formidable  than  those  of  nature. 

Gates  was  now  appointed  to  succeed  Schuyler,  and  arrived 
at  the  scene  of  action  on  the  21st  of  August,  1777. 

It  was  fortunate  for  general  Gates,  that  the  retreat  from 
Ticonderoga  had  been  conducted  under  other  auspices  than 
his.  and  that  he  took  the  command  when  the  indefatigable 
but  unrequited  labors  of  Schuyler,  and  the  courage  of  Starke 
and  his  mountaineers  had  already  insured  the  ultimate  defeat 
of  Burgoyne,  who.  notwithstanding  his  unfavorable  prospects, 
would  not  think  of  saving  his  army  by  a  timely  retreat,  was 
highly  propitious  to  the  new  American  commander. 

After  collecting  thirty  days  provision,  Burgoyne  passed 
the  Hudson  and  encamped  at  Saratoga.  Gates,  with  num- 
bers already  equal,  and  daily  increasing,  began  to  advance 
towards  him  with  a  resolution  to  oppose  his  progress  at  the 
risk  of  a  battle.  He  encamped  at  Sli  11  water,  and  Burgoyne 
hastened  forward  to  open  the  way  with  his  sword.  On  the 
17th  of  September,  the  two  armies  were  within  four  miles  of 
each  other.  Two  days  after,  skirmishes  between  advanced 
parties  terminated  in  an  engagement  almost  general,  in  which 
the  utmost  efforts  of  the  British  merely  enabled  them  to  main- 
tain the  footing  of  the  preceding  day. 

Burgoyne,  unassisted  by  the  British  forces  under  Clinton 
at  New  York,  found  himself  unable  to  pursue  his  march  down 
the  river,  and  in  the  hope  of  this  assistance,  was  content  to 


155  GATES, 

remain  in  Ms  camp,  and  stand  on  the  defensiAre.  His  army 
was  likewise  diminished  by  the  desertion  of  the  Indians  and 
Canadian  militia,  to  less  than  one  half  of  its  original  number. 
Gates,  finding  his  forces  largely  increasing,  being  plentifully 
supplied  with  provisions,  and  knowing  that  Burgoyne  had  only 
a  limited  store,  which  was  rapidly  lessening,  and  could  not 
be  recruited,  was  not  without  hopes  that  victory  would  come, 
in  time,  even  without  a  battle.  His  troops  were  so  numer- 
ous, and  his  fortified  position  so  strong,  that  he  was  able  to 
take  measures  for  preventing  the  retreat  of  the  enemy,  by  oc- 
cupying the  strong  posts  in  his  rear.  Accordingly,  nineteen 
days  passed  without  any  further  operations,  a  delay  as  ruin- 
ous to  one  party,  as  it  was  advantageous  to  the  other.  At  the 
end  of  this  period,  the  British  general  found  bis  prospects  of 
assistance  as  remote  as  ever,  and  the  consumption  of  Ins  stores 
so  alarming,  that  retreat  or  victory  became  unavoidable  al- 
ternatives. 

On  the  8th  of  October  a  warm  action  ensued,  in  which  the 
British  were  every  where  repulsed,  and  a  part  of  their  lines 
occupied  by  their  enemies.  Burgoyne'sloss  was  very  consi- 
derable in  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners,  while  the  favora- 
ble situation  of  Gate's  army  made  its  losses  in  the  battle  of  no 
moment.  Burgoyne  retired  in  the  night  to  a  stronger  camp, 
but  the  measures  immediately  taken  by  Gates  to  cut  off  his  re- 
treat, compelled  him  without  delay  to  regain  his  former  camp 
at  Saratoga.  There  he  arrived  with  little  molestation  from 
his  adversary.  His  provisions  being  now  reduced  to  the  sup- 
ply of  a  few  days,  the  transport  of  artillery  and  baggage,  to- 
wards Canada,  being  rendered  impracticable  by  the  judicious 
measures  of  his  adversary,  the  British  general  resolved  upon 
a  rapid  retreat,  merely  with  what  the  soldiers  could  carry. 

On  a  careful  scrutiny,  however,  it  was  found  that  they  were 
deprived  even  of  this  resource,  as  the  passes  through  which 
their  route  lay,  were  so  strongly  guarded,  that  nothing  but 
artillery  could  clear  them.  In  this  desperate  situation  a  par- 
ley took  place,  and  on  the  1 6th  of  October,  the  whole  army 
surrendered  to  Gates.  The  prize  obtained  consisted  of  more 
than  five  thousand  prisoners,  some  fine  artillery,  seven  thou- 
sand muskets,  clothing  for  seven  hundred  men.  with  a  great 
quantity  of  tents,  and  other  military  stores.  All  the  frontier 
fortresses  were  immediately  abandoned  to  the  victors. 

It  is  not  easy  to  overrate  the  importance  of  this  success.  It 
may  be  considered  as  deciding  the  war  of  the  revolution,  as 
from  that  period  the  British  cause  began  rapidly  to  decline. 
The  capture  of  Cornwallis  was  hardly  of  equal  importance  to 
that  of  Burgoyne,  and  was,  in  itself,  an  event  of  much  less 
splendor,  and  productive  of  less  exultation. 


GATES.  157 

How  far  the  misfortunes  of  Burgoyne  were  owing  to  the  ac- 
cidents bevond  human  controul,and  how  far  they  are  ascribed 
to  the  individual  conduct  and  courage  of  the  American  com- 
mander, would  be  a  useless  and  invidious  inquiry.  Reason- 
ing on  the  ordinary  ground,  his  merits  were  exceedingly 
great,  and  this  event  entitled  him  to  a  high  rank  among  the 
deliverers  of  his  country.  The  memory  of  all  former  mis- 
fortunes were  effaced  by  the  magnitude  of  this  victory,  and 
the  government  and  people  vied  with  each  other  in  expressing 
their  admiration  of  the  conquering  general.  Besides  the 
thanks  of  congress,  the  general  received  from  the  president  a 
gold  medal,  as  a  memorial  of  their  gratitude. 

Every  war  abounds  with  cases  of  private  suffering  and  dis- 
tress; very  few  of  which  become  public,  though  sympathy  and 
curiosity  are  powerfully  excited  by  narratives  of  that  kind; 
and  the  feelings  of  a  whole  nation  are  remarkably  swayed  by 
them.  The  expedition  of  Burgoyne  was  adorned  by  the  ro- 
mantic and  affecting  tales  of  M  Crea.  and  lady  Harriet  Ack- 
land.  The  latter  is  of  no  further  consequence  in  this  narration, 
than  as  it  reflects  great  credit  on  the  politeness  and  humanity 
of  general  Gates.  Major  Ackland,  the  husband  of  this  lady, 
was  wounded  and  made  prisoner  in  one  of  the  battles  preced- 
ing the  surrender,  and  his  wife,  in  going  to  the  hostile  camp  to 
attend  her  husband,  met  with  a  reception,  which  proved  that 
long  converse  with  military  scenes,  had  left  the  virtues  of 
humanity  wholly  unimpaired  in  his  bosom. 

Gates  was  now  placed  at  the  head  of  the  board  of  war;  a 
post  of  trust  and  dignity,  scarcely  inferior  to  that  of  comman- 
der in  chief. 

He  was  in  a  private  station,  residing  on  his  farm  in  Vir- 
ginia, in  June,  1780.  The  low  state  of  their  affairs  in  the 
southern  districts,  induced  congress,  on  the  13th  of  that 
month,  to  call  him  to  the  chief  command  in  that  quarter. 
The  state  of  affairs  in  Pennsylvania,  Jersey,  and  New  York, 
afforded  sufficient  employment  for  Washington,  and  Gates  be- 
ing the  next  in  rank  and  reputation,  was  resorted  to  as  the 
last  refuge  of  his  suffering  country. 

The  efforts  of  the  British  in  the  southern  states  had  been 
very  strenuous  and  successful.  Charleston,  the  chief  city, 
had  been  taken.  All  the  American  detachments,  collected 
with  great  difficulty,  easily  dissolved  by  their  own  fears,  ill 
furnished  with  arms,  and  unqualified  for  war,  by  inexperi- 
ence and  want  of  discipline,  were  instantly  overwhelmed  and 
dispersed  by  the  well  equipped  cavalry  of  Tarleton,  and  the 
veterans  of  Rawdon  and  Cornwallis.  The  American  leaders 
were  famous  for  their  valour,  perseverance  and  activity;  but 
tjbiese  qualities  would  not  supply  the  place  of  guns,  and  of 


158  GATES. 

hands  to  manage  them.  At  this  crisis,  Gates  took  tbe  com- 
mand of  that  miserable  remnant  which  bore  the  name  of  the 
southern  army,  and  which  mustered  about  fifteen  hundred 
men.  A  very  numerous  and  formidable  force  existed  in  the 
promises  of  North  Carolina  and  Virginia.  The  paper  armies 
of  the  new  states  always  made  a  noble  appearance.  All 
the  muniments  of  war  overflowed  the  skirts  of  these  armies ; 
but,  alas !  the  field  was  as  desolate  as  the  paper  estimate  was 
full.  The  promised  army  proved  to  be  only  one  tenth  of  the 
stipulated  number,  and  assembled  at  the  scene  of  action  long 
after  the  fixed  time.  The  men  were  destitute  of  arms  and 
ammunition,  and,  what  was  most  to  be  regretted,  were  undis- 
ciplined. 

Two  modes  of  immediate  action  were  proposed.  One  was 
to  advance  into  the  country  possessed  by  the  enemy,  by  a 
road  somewhat  circuitous,  but  which  would  supply  the  army 
with  accommodation  and  provisions.  Gates  was  averse  to 
dilatory  measures.  He  was,  perhaps,  somewhat  misled  by 
the  splendid  success  which  had  hitherto  attended  him.  He 
was  anxious  to  come  to  action  immediately,  and  to  terminate 
the  war  by  a  few  bold  and  energetic  efforts.  He,  therefore, 
resolved  to  collect  all  the  troops  into  one  body,  and  to  meet 
the  enemy  as  soon  as  possible.  Two  days  after  his  arrival  in 
camp,  he  began  his  march  by  the  most  direct  road.  This 
road,  unfortunately,  led  through  a  barren  country,  in  the 
hottest  and  most  unwholesome  season  of  the  year. 

During  this  march,  all  the  forebodings  of  those  who  pre- 
ferred a  different  track,  were  amply  fulfilled.  A  scanty  sup- 
ply of  cattle,  found  nearly  wild  in  the  woods,  was  their  prin- 
cipal sustenance,  while  bread  or  flour  was  almost  wholly 
wanting,  and  when  we  add  to  a  scarcity  of  food,  the  malignity 
of  the  climate  and  the  season,  we  shall  not  wonder  that  the 
work  of  the  enemy  was  anticipated  in  the  destruction  of  con- 
siderable numbers  by  disease.  The  perseverance  of  Gates, 
in  surmounting  the  obstacles  presented  by  piny  thickets  and 
dismal  swamps,  deserves  praise,  however  injudicious  the  ori- 
ginal choice  of  such  a  road  may  be  thought  by  some.  In  this 
course  he  effected  a  junction  with  some  militia  of  North  Caro- 
lina, and  with  a  detachment  under  Potterfield. 

He  finally  took  possession  of  Clermont,  whence  the  British 
commander,  lord  llawdon,  had  previously  withdraws.  That 
general  prepared,  by  collecting  and  centering  his  forces  in 
one  body,  to  overwhelm  him  in  a  single  battle.  Lord  Raw- 
don  was  posted,  with  his  forces,  at  Camden.  After  some  de- 
liberation, the  American  leader  determined  to  approach  the 
English,  and  expose  himself  to  the  chance  of  a  battle. 
Rumour  had  made  the  numbers  of  the  Americans  much 


GATES.  159 

greater  than  they  really  were  in  the  imagination  of  the  Bri- 
tish. Cornwallis  himself  hastened  to  the  scene  of  action ; 
and,  though  mustering  all  his  strength  for  this  arduous  occa- 
sion, could  not  hring  two  thousand  men  into  the  field.  Nine- 
teen, however,  out  of  twenty,  of  these,  were  veterans  of  the 
most  formidable  qualifications.  With  the  reinforcement  of 
seven  hundred  Virginia  militia  and  some  other  detachments, 
Gates's  army  did  not  fall  short  of  four  thousand  men.  A  very 
small  portion  of  these  were  regular  troops,  whil  ethe  rest 
were  a  wavering  and  undiciplined  militia,  whose  presence 
was  rather  injurious  than  beneficial. 

Notwithstanding  his  inferiority  of  numbers,  Cornwallis 
found  that  a  retreat  would  be  more  pernicious  than  a  battle, 
under  the  worst  auspices;  and  he  himself  on  the  16th  of  Au- 
gust, prepared  to  attack  his  enemy.  General  Gates  had  ta- 
ken the  same  resolution  at  the  same  time;  and  the  adverse 
forces  came  to  an  engagement,  in  which  the  Americans  suf- 
fered a  defeat.  The  loss  of  the  battle  was  ascribed,  with 
reason,  to  the  unskilfulness  of  the  militia.  Among  these  the 
route  and  confusion  was  absolute  and  irretrievable,  and  Gates 
had  the  singular  fortune  of  conducting  the  most  prosperous  and 
the  most  disastrous  of  the  military  enterprises  in  this  war. 

Here  was  a  dismal  reverse  in  the  life  of  Gates.  His  pros- 
perous  scale  sunk  at  Camden  as  fast  as  it  had  mounted  at  Sa- 
ratoga. There  had  been  a  difference  of  opinion  as  to  the  best 
road  to  the  theatre  of  action,  and  the  hardships  and  diseases 
which  one  party  had  foretold  would  infest  the  road  which  he 
took,  actually  exceeded  what  was  menaced.  A  battle  lost 
against  half  the  number,  in  circumstances  where  the  van- 
quished army  was  taken,  in  some  degree,  by  surprise,  would 
not  fail  to  suggest  suspicions  as  to  the  caution  or  discernment 
of  the  general. 

Gates  continued  in  command  till  Octoher  the  5th,  in  the 
same  year,  about  fifty  days  after  the  disaster  at  Camden.  In 
this  interval  he  had  been  busily  employed  in  repairing  the 
consequences  of  that  defeat,  and  was  now  reposing  for  the 
winter.  He  was  on  that  day,  however,  displaced,  and  sub- 
jected to  the  inquiry  of  a  special  court.  The  inquiry  was  a 
tedious  one,  but  terminated  finally  in  the  acquittal  of  the  ge- 
neral. He  was  reinstated  in  his  military  command  in  the  year 
1782.  In  the  meantime,  however,  the  great  scenes  of  the 
southern  war,  especially  the  capture  of  Cornwallis,  had  past. 
Little  room  was  afforded  to  a  new  general  to  gather  either 
laurels  or  henbane.  A  particular  detail  of  those  transactions 
in  which  he  was  concerned,  exceeds  the  limits  prescribed  to 
this  hasty  sketch.  In  like  manner,  we  are  unable  to  digest 
that  voluminous  mass  of  letters,  evidences,  and  documents,  by 


160  GATES. 

which  the  resolution  of  congress,  in  favour  of  his  conduct  at 
Camden,  was  dictated. 

The  capture  of  Cornwallis,  which  produced  such  grand 
and  immediate  consequences,  swallowed  up  the  memory  of  all 
former  exploits,  and  whatever  sentence  the  impartial  historian 
may  pronounce  on  the  comparative  importance  of  the  capture 
of  Burgoyne,  and  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis,  to  the  national 
welfare,  or  to  the  merit  of  the  leaders,  the  people  of  that  time 
could  not  hearken  to  any  such  parallel.  They  swam  in  joy 
and  exultation,  and  the  hero  of  York-town  was  alike  with 
congress  and  with  the  people  the  only  saviour  of  his  country. 

When  the  revolution  was  completed,  Gates  retired  to  his 
plantation  in  Virginia.  We  are  unacquainted  with  the  parti- 
culars of  his  domestic  economy;  but  have  reason  to  infer  that 
it  was  eminently  mild  and  liberal,  since  seven  years  after- 
wards, when  he  took  up  his  final  residence  in  New  York,  he 
gave  freedom  to  his  slaves.  Instead  of  turning  them  to  the 
highest  profit,  he  made  provision  for  the  old  and  infirm,  while 
several  of  them  testified  their  attachment  to  him  by  remaining 
in  his  family.  In  the  characteristic  virtue  of  planters,  hospi- 
tality, Gates  had  no  competitor,  and  his  reputation  may  well 
be  supposed  to  put  that  virtue  to  a  hard  test.  He  purchased, 
in  the  neighborhood  of  New  York,  a  spacious  house,  with  va- 
luable ground,  for  the  life  of  himself  and  his  wife,  and  here, 
with  few  exceptions,  he  remained  for  the  rest  of  his  life. 

No  wonder  that  the  military  leaders  in  the  revolution,  should 
aspire  to  the  enjoyment  of  its  civil  honours  afterwards.  The 
war  was  too  short  to  create  a  race  of  mere  soldiers.  The 
merchants  and  lawyers  who  entered  the  army,  became  mer- 
chants and  lawyers  again,  and  had  lost  none  of  their  primi- 
tive qualifications  lor  administering  the  civil  government. — 
General  Gates,  however,  was  a  singular  example  among  the 
officers  of  high  rank.  His  original  profession  was  a  soldier, 
and  disabled  him  from  acquiring  the  capacity  suitable  to  the 
mere  magistrate  and  senator.  During  twenty-three  years, 
he  was  only  for  a  short  time  in  a  public  body.  In  the  year 
1800,  he  was  elected  to  the  New  York  legislature,  in  conse- 
quence of  a  critical  balance  of  the  parties  in  that  .state,  and 
withdrew  again  into  private  life,  as  soon  as  the  purpose  for 
which  he  was  elected  was  gained. 

General  Gates  was  a  whig  in  England,  and  a  republican 
in  America.  His  political  opinions  did  not  separate  him  from 
many  respectable  citizens,  whose  views  differed  widely  from 
his  own. 

He  had  a  handsome  person,  tending  to  corpulence,  in  the 
middle  of  life,  and  remarkably  courteous  to  all.  He  is  s:jd 
to  have  received  a  classical  education,  and  not  to  have  en- 


GATES.  161 

tirely  neglected  that  advantage  in  after  life.  To  science,  li- 
terature, or  erudition,  however,  he  made  no  pretensions  :  but 
gave  indisputable  marks  of  a  social,  amiable  and  benevolent 
disposition. 

He  died,  without  posterity,  at  his  customary  abode,  near 
New  York,  on  the  10th  of  April,  1806,  after  having  counted 
a  long  series  of  seventy-eight  years. 

As  the  affecting  tales  of  miss  M'Crea  and  lady  Ack'and,  are 
alluded  to  in  the  foregoing  sketch,  and  connected  with  an  im- 
portant period  of  the  life  of  general  Gates,  we  insert  an  ac- 
count of  those  incidents,  the  former  from  Ramsay,  the  latter 
from  Thatcher's  Journal,  a  valuable  and  interesting  work, 
lately  published  in  Boston. 

For  some,  time  previous  to  the  capture  of  Burgoyne's  army  by 
general  Gates,  many  innocent  persons  fell  victims  to  the  toma- 
hawk and  scalping  knife  of  those  savages  who  accompanied 
the  Britsh  army.  Upwards  of  one  hundred  men,  women  and 
children,  perished  by  the  hands  of  those  ruffians,  "  whose 
known  rule  of  warfare  is  an  undistinguished  destruction  of  all 
ages,  sexes,  and  conditions."  Among  other  instances,  the 
murder  of  miss  Jenny  M'Crea,  excited  universal  horror. 

"  This  young  lady,  in  the  innocence  of  youth,  and  the  bloom 
of  beauty;  the  daughter  of  a  steady  loyalist,  and  engaged  to 
he  married  to  a  British  officer,  was  on  the  very  day  of  her 
intended  nuptials,  massacred  by  the  savage  auxiliaries,  at- 
tached to  the  British  army.  Mr.  Jones,  her  lover,  from  an 
anxiety  for  her  safety,  engaged  some  Indians  to  remove  her 
from  among  the  Americans:  and  promised  to  reward  the  per- 
son who  should  bring  her  safe  to  him,  with  abarrel  of  rum.  Two 
of  the  Indians,  who  had  conveyed  her  some  distance,  on  the 
way  to  her  intended  husband,  disputed,  which  of  them  should 
present  her  to  Mr.  Jones.  Both  were  anxious  for  the  reward. 
One  of  them  killed  her  with  his  tomahawk,  to  prevent  the 
other  from  receiving  it.  Burgoyne  obliged  the  Indians  to 
deliver  up  the  murderer,  and  threatened  to  put  him  to  death. 
His  life  was  only  Spared,  upon  the  Indians  agreeing  to  terms, 
which  the  general  thought  would  be  more  efficacious  than  an  ex- 
ecution, in  preventing  similar  mischiefs." 

"  General  Gates  was  no  less  dignified  and  brave  as  a  com- 
mander,  than  beneficent  and  generous  as  a  conqueror.  He 
was  re  mar  Si  able  for  his  humanity  to  prisoners,  and  a  desire  to 
mitigate  the  sufferings  of  the  unfortunate.  Among  the  objects 
in  distress,  which  claimed  his  attention,  was  the  lady  of  major 
Ackland,  commanderof  the  British  grenadiers,  who  was  dan- 
gerously wounded  and  captured  during  the  battle  of  the  7th 
of  October.  This  heroic  lady,  from  conjugal  affection,  was 
induced  to  follow  the  fortune  of  her  husband  during  the  whole 


16:3  GATES. 

campaign  through  the  wilderness.  Having  been  habituated 
to  a  mode  of  life  with  which  those  of  rank  and  fortune  are 
peculiarly  favoured,  her  delicate  frame  was  ill  calculated  to 
sustain  the  indescribable  privations  and  hardships,  to  which 
she  was  unavoidably  exposed  during  an  active  campaign. 
Her  vehicle  of  conveyance  was,  part  of  the  time,  a  small  two 
wheeled  tumbril,  drawn  by  a  single  horse  over  roads  almost 
impassable.  Soon  after  she  received  the  affecting  intelligence 
that  her  husband  had  received  a  wound,  and  Mas  a  prisoner, 
she  manifested  the  greatest  tenderness  and  affection,  and  re- 
solved  to  visit  him  in  our  camp,  to  console  and  alleviate  his 
sufferings.  With  this  view  she  obtained  a  letter  from  Bur- 
goyne,  to  general  Gates,  and  not  permitting  the  prospect  of 
being  out  in  the  night,  and  drenched  in  rain,  to  repress  her 
zeal,  she  proceeded  in  an  open  boat,  with  a  few  attendants, 
and  arrived  at  our  post  in  the  night,  in  a  suffering  condition, 
from  extreme  wet  and  cold.  The  sentinel,  faithful  to  his  duty, 
detained  them  in  the  boat  till  major  Dearborn,  the  officer  of 
the  guard,  could  arrive.  He  permitted  them  to  land,  and  af- 
forded lady  Ackland  the  best  accommodations  in  his  power, 
and  treated  her  with  a  cup  of  tea  in  his  guard  house.  When 
general  Gates,  in  the  morning,  was  informed  of  the  unhappy 
situation  of  lady  Ackland,  he  immediately  ordered  her  a  safe 
escort,  and  treated  her  himself  with  the  tenderness  of  a  parent, 
directing  that  every  attention  should  be  bestowed  which  her 
rank,  her  sex,  character  and  circumstances,  required.  She 
was  soon  conveyed  to  Albany,  where  she  found  her  wounded 
husband. 

"Lady  Ackland  accompanied  major  Ackland  to  Canada,  in 
1776,  and  was  called  to  attend  on  him  while  sick  in  a  mi- 
serable hut  at  Chamblee.  In  the  expedition  to  Ticonderoga, 
in  1777,  she  was  positively  enjoined  not  to  expose  herself  to 
the  risk  and  hazards  which  might  occur  on  that  occasion  ; 
but  major  Ackland  having  received  a  wound  in  the  battle  of 
Hubbcrton.  she  crossed  lake  Champlain.  to  pay  her  attention 
to  him.  After  this  she  followed  his  fortune,  and  shared  his 
fatigue,  while  traversing  the  dreary,  woody  country  to  Fort 
Edward.  Here  the  tent  in  which  they  lodged,  took  fire,  by 
night,  from  which  they  escaped  with  the  utmost  difficulty — - 
During  the  action  of  the  19th  of  September,  she  was  exposed 
to  great  fatigue,  and  inexpressible  anxiety  for  the  fate  of  her 
husband,  being  advanced  in  the  front  of  the  battle.  On  the 
7th  of  October,  during  the  heat  of  the  conflict,  lady  Ackland 
took  refuge  among  the  wounded  and  dying;  her  husband  com- 
manding the  grenadiers,  was  in  the  most  exposed  part  of  the 
action,  and  she  in  awful  suspense  awaiting  his  Fate.  The  ba- 
roness Reidsel,  and  the  wives  of  two  other  field  officers,  were 


GIBSON.  lo; 

"her  companions  in  painful  apprehension.  One  of  these  ofiv 
cers  was  soon  brought  in  dangerously  wounded,  and  the  death 
of  the  other  was  announced.  It  was  not  long  before  intelli 
gence  was  received  that  the  British  army  was  defeated,  and 
that  Major  Ackland  was  desperately  wounded  and  taken. 
The  next  day  she  proposed  to  visit  her  husband,  in  the  Ame- 
rican camp.  General  Burgoyne  observes,  *•  Though  I  was 
ready  to  believe,  for  I  had  experienced,  that  patience  and  forti- 
tude in  a  supreme  degree,  were  to  be  found,  as  well  as  every 
other  virtue,  umier  the  most  tender  forms,  I  was  astonished  at 
this  proposal.  After  so  long  an  agitation  of  the  spirits,  ex- 
hausted not  only  for  want  of  rest,  but,  absolutely  want  of 
food,  drenched  in  rain,  for  twelve  hours  together,  that  a  wo- 
man should  be  capable  of  delivering  herself  to  the  enemy,  pro- 
bably in  the  night,  and  uncertain  into  what  hands  she  might 
fall,  appeared  an  effort  above  human  nature.  The  assistance 
I  was  enabled  to  give,  was  small  indeed;  I  had  not  even  a  cup 
of  wine  to  offer  her,  but  I  was  told,  she  had  found  from  some 
kind  and  fortunate  hand,  a  little  rum  and  dirty  water.  All  I 
could  furnish  to  her,  was  an  open  boat  and  a  few  lines  written 
on  dirty  and  wet  paper  to  general  Gates,  recommending  her 
to  his  protection.  It  is  due  to  justice,  at  the  close  of  this  ad- 
venture, to  say,  that  she  was  received  and  accommodated  by 
general  Gates,  with  all  the  humanity  and  respect,  that  her 
rank,  her  merits,  and  her  fortunes  deserved. 

"  Let  such  as  are  affected  by  these  circumstances  of  alarm, 
hardship  and  danger,  recollect  that  the  subject  of  them  was  a 
woman  of  the  most  tender  and  delicate  frame;  of  the  gentlest 
mariners;  habituated  to  all  the  soft  elegancies  and  refined  en- 
joyments that  attended  high  birth  and  fortune;  and  far  ad- 
vanced in  a  state,  in  which  the  tender  cares,  always  due  to 
the  sex,  become  indispensably  necessary.  Her  mind  alone 
was  formed  for  such  trials." 

GIBSON,  Johiv,  was  born  at  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  on 
the  23d  of  May,  1740.  He  received  a  classical  education, 
and  was  an  excellent  scholar  at  the  age  of  eighteen,  when  he 
entered  the  service.  He  made  his  first  campaign  under  gene- 
ral Forbes,  in  the  expedition  which  resulted  in  the  acquisition 
of  Fort  Du  Quesne,  (Pittsburg)  from  the  French.  At  the 
peace  of  1763,  he  settled  at  Fort  Pitt,  as  a  trader.  Shortly 
after  this,  war  broke  out  again  with  the  Indians,  and  he  was 
taken  prisoner  at  the  mouth  of  Beaver  creek,  together  with 
two  men  who  were  in  his  employment,  while  descending  the 
Ohio  in  a  canoe.  One  of  the  men  was  immediately  burnt, 
and  the  other  shared  the  same  fate,  as  soon  as  the  party  reached 
the  Kenhawa.  General  Gibson,  however,  was  preserved  by 
an  aged  squaw,  and.  adopted  by  her  in  the  place  of  her  son. 


164  GIBSON. 

who  had  been  killed  in  battle.  He  remained  several  years 
with  the  Indians,  and  became  familiar  with  their  language, 
habits,  manners,  customs  and  traditions.  It  is  to  be  regretted, 
that  the  low  degree  of  estimation  in  which  these  subjects 
were  held,  prevented  him  from  giving  his  collections  to  the 
public,  as  in  the  present  state  of  taste  for  Indian  antiquities, 
they  would  have  been  valuable.  No  person  who  had  equal 
opportunities  of  acquiring  information  of  this  kind,  was  so 
well  qualified  to  communicate  it,  except  his  late  friend,  the 
Rex .  Mr  Heckewelder.  At  the  termination  of  hostilities,  he 
again  settled  at  Fort  Pitt. 

In  1774,  he  acted  a  conspicuous  part  in  the  expedition 
against  the  Shawnee  Towns,  under  lord  Dunmorc  ;  particu- 
larly in  negotiating  the  peace  which  followed,  and  restored 
many  prisoners  to  their  friends,  after  a  captivity  of  several 
years.  On  this  occasion,  the  celebrated  speech  of  Logan,  the 
Mingo  chief,  was  delivered;  the  circumstances  connected  with 
which,  have  still  sufficient  interest  to  justify  a  relation  of  them 
here,  as  received  from  the  lips  of  general  Gibson,  a  short 
time  before  his  death.  When  the  troops  had  arrived  at  the 
principal  town,  and  while  dispositions  were  making  prepara- 
tory to  the  attack,  he  was  sent  on  with  a  Hag,  and  authority  to 
treat  for  peace.  As  he  approached,  he  met  with  Logan,  who 
was  standing  by  the  side  of  the  path,  and  accosted  with,  "My 
friend  Logan,  how  do  you  do?  I  am  glad  to  see  you."  To 
which  Logan,  with  a  coldness  of  manner  evidently  intended 
to  conceal  feelings  with  which  he  was  struggling,  replied: 
"I  suppose  you  are;"  and  turned  away.  On  opening  the  bu- 
siness to  the  chiefs  (all  but  Logan)  assembled  in  council,  he 
found  them  sincerely  desirous  of  peace.  During  the  discus- 
sion of  the  terms,  he  felt  himself  plucked  by  the  skirt  of  his 
capote,  and  turning,  beheld  Logan  standing  at  his  back,  with 
his  face  convulsed  with  passion,  and  beckoning  him  to  follow. 
This  he  hesitated  to  do;  but  reflecting  that  he  was  at  least  a 
match  for  his  supposed  antagonist,  being  armed  with  dirk  and 
side  pistols,  and  in  muscular  vigour  more  than  his  equal,  and 
considering,  above  all,  that  the  slightest  indication  of  fear 
might  be  prejudicial  to  the  negociation,  he  followed  in  silence, 
while  the  latter,  with  hurried  steps,  led  the  way  to  a  copse  of 
woods  at  some  distance.  Here  they  sat  down,  and  Logan 
having  regained  the  power  of  utterance,  after  an  abundance 
of  tears,  delivered  the  speech  in  question,  desiring  that  it 
might  be  communicated  to  lord  Dunmore,  for  the  purpose 
of  removing  all  suspicion  of  insincerity  on  the  part  of  the  In- 
dians, in  consequence  of  the  refusal  of  a  chief  of  such  note  to 
take  part  in  the  ratification  of  the  treaty.  It  was  accordingly 
translated  and  delivered  to  lord  Dunmore  immediately  after- 


GIBSON.  165 

wards.  General  Gibson  would  not  positively  assert  that  the 
speech  as  given  by  Mr.  Jefferson,  in  the  notes  on  Virginia,  is 
an  exact  copy  of  his  translation,  although  particular  expres- 
sions in  it,  induced  him  to  think  that  it  is;  but  he  was  alto- 
gether certain  that  it  contains  the  substance.  He  was  of 
opinion,  Jiowever,  that  no  translation  could  give  an  adequate 
idea  of  theorignal;  to  which,  the  language  of  passion,  uttered 
in  tones  of  the  deepest  feeling,  and  with  gesture  at  once  natural, 
graceful,  and  commanding,  together  with  a  consciousness  on 
the  part  of  the  hearer,  that  the  sentiments  proceeded  immedi- 
ately from  a  desolate  and  broken  heart,  imparted  a  grandeur 
and  force  inconceivably  great.  In  comparison  with  the  speech 
as  delivered,  he  thought  the  translation  lame  and  insipid. 

On  the  breaking  out  of  the  revolutionary  war,  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  the  command  of  one  of  the  continental  regiments, 
and  served  with  the  army  at  New  York,  and  in  the  retreat 
through  Jersey;  but  for  the  rest  of  the  war,  was  employed  on 
the  western  frontier,  for  which,  by  long  experience  in  Indian 
warfare,  he  was  peculiarly  qualified.  In  1788.  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  convention  which  formed  the  constitution  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  subsequently  a  judge  of  the  court  of  common 
pleas  of  Allegheny  county,  and  also  a  major  general  of  mi- 
litia. In  1800,  he  received  from  president  Jefferson,  the  ap- 
pointment of  secretary  of  the  territory  of  Indiana;  an  office 
which  he  held  till  that  territory  became  a  state.  At  this  time, 
finding  that  the  infirmities  of  age  were  thickening  on  him, 
and  labouring  under  an  incurable  cataract,  he  retired  to 
JBraddock's  Field,  the  seat  of  his  son-in-law,  George  Wallace, 
Esq.  where  he  died  on  the  10th  of  April,  1822;  having  borne 
through  life  the  character  of  a  brave  soldier  and  an  honest 
man. 

The  following  is  the  speech  of  Logan,  alluded  to  in  the  fore- 
going sketch,  and  which  the  compiler  conceives  will  be  proper 
in  this  place: 

Speech  of  Logan,  a  Mingo  Chief,  to  Lord  Dunmore,   Governor 
of  Virginia,    1774. 

"  I  appeal  to  any  white  man  to  say,  if  ever  he  entered  Lo- 
gan's cabin  hungry,  and  he  gave  him  not  meat :  if  ever  he  came 
cold  and  naked,  and  he  clothed  him  not.  During  the  course 
of  the  last  long  and  bloody  war,  Logan  remained  idle  in  his 
cabin,  an  advocate  for  peace.  Such  was  my  love  for  the 
whites,  that  my  countrymen  pointed  as  they  passed,  and  said, 
*  Logan  is  the  friend  of  white  men.'  I  had  even  thought  to 
have  lived  with  you,  but  for  the  injuries  of  one  man.  Co- 
lonel Cresap,  the  last  spring,  in  cold  blood,  and  unprovoked, 
murdered  all  the  relations  of  Logan,  not  even  .snaring  imj  women 
and  children.    There  runs  not  a  drop  of  my  Mood  in  the  veins  of 


166  GIBSON. 

any  living  creature.  This  called  on  me  for  revenge.  I  have 
sought  it :  I  have  killed  many :  I  have  fully  glutted  my  ven- 
geance :  for  my  country  I  rejoice  at  the  beams  of  peace.  But  do 
not  harbour  a  thought  that  mine  is  the  joy  of  fear.  Logan  never 
felt  fear.  He  will  not  turn  on  his  heel  to  save  his  life.  Who  is 
there  to  mourn  for  Logan?    Not  one." 

GIBSON,  George,  generally  known  and  admired  for  bis 
wit  and  social  qualities,  and  esteemed  by  all  who  knew  him, 
for  the  honourable  and  generous  feelings  of  his  heart.  Of 
the  vast  variety  of  anecdotes  connected  with  him,  the  limits 
of  a  sketch  do  not  admit  of  the  few  still  retained  in  the  recol- 
lection of  his  acquaintances:  we  have  room  only  for  a  brief 
outline  of  his  services  to  his  country,  which  were  neither  few 
nor  unimportant. 

He  was  born  at  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  in  October,  1774. 
After  passing  through  the  usual  academical  course,  he  was 
placed  in  a  respectable  mercantile  house  in  Philadelphia,  and 
after  the  expiration  of  his  apprenticeship,  made  several  voya- 
ges to  the  West  Indies  as  a  supercargo.  But  growing  tired 
of  a  pursuit  which  promised  no  rapid  advancement,  he  retired 
to  Fort  Pitt,  at  that  time  a  frontier  post,  within  the  actual  ju- 
risdiction of  Virginia,  where  his  brother  was  established  in 
the  Indian  trade.  Here  his  brother-in-law,  captain  Callen- 
der,  put  under  his  direction  a  trading  adventure  to  the  Bri- 
tish post  on  the  Illinois,  which  ended  in  the  loss  of  the  whole 
capital  embarked.  Discouraged  by  want  of  success  in  mer- 
cantile matters,  he  married  and  rented  a  farm  and  mills,  near 
Carlisle,  in  Cumberland  county,  but  was  again  unsuccessful, 
owing  to  a  want  of  practical  knowledge  of  the  business  into 
which  he  entered.  In  these  circumstances  the  revolution  found 
him:  when  leaving  his  wife  and  child  under  the  care  of  her 
father,  he  returned  to  Fort  Pitt,  where  he  raised  a  company 
of  one  hundred  men  on  his  own  authority.  With  these,  he  march- 
ed to  Williamsburg,  the  seat  of  the  government  of  Virginia, 
and  was  immediately  appointed  a  captain  in  one  of  the  two  re- 
giments then  raising  by  that  state.  His  men  possessed  all 
that  sense  of  individual  independence,  and  all  that  hardihood 
and  desperate  daring  which  the  absence  of  most  of  the  re- 
straints of  civilization,  and  familiarity  with  danger,  never  fails 
to  produce  on  the  inhabitants  of  an  Indian  frontier  :  qualities, 
which,  although  of  inestimable  value  in  the  hour  of  battle,  are 
not  those  which  ensure  a  prompt  obedience,  and  a  ready  sub- 
jection to  discipline  and  the  police  of  a  camp  :  and  this 
company,  by  its  tuibulence  and  the  frequent  battles  of  its 
members  with  the  soldiers  of  every  other  corps  with  which  it 
happened  to  be  quartered,  acquired  the  name  of  "  Gibson's 
lambs  ;"  an  appellation  which  it  retained  long  after  captain 


GIBSON.  167 

Gibson  had  ceased  to  command  it.    It  was  composed  entirely 
of  sharp-shooters,  and  did  good  service  on  the  25th  of  Octo- 
ber, 1775,  at  the  attack  on  the  town  of  Hampton,  by  a  naval 
force  under  lord  Dunmore;  where  having  arrived  along  with 
another  company,  by  a  forced  march  from  Williamsburg,  dur- 
ing the  preceding  night,  it  was  posted  in  the  houses  fronting 
the  water,  whence  the  soldiers  so  galled  the  enemy  with  small 
arms,  as  to  drive  him  from  his  position,  with  the  loss  of  a 
number  of  men,  and  a  tender,  which  fell  into  their  possession. 
About  this  time,  the  scarcity  of  gunpowder  in  the  army  be- 
came alarming,  and  urgent  applications  were  made  by  gene- 
ral Washington  to  Congress,  and  the  respective  states,  for  a 
supply.     As  the  article  was  not  generally  manufactured  in  the 
colonies,  it  was  necessary  to  procure  it  from  abroad;  and  for 
this  purpose  the  attention  of  government  was  turned  towards 
New  Orleans.  As  Spain,  however,  could  not  furnish  munitions 
of  war  to  a  belligerent,  without  a  manifest  breach  of  her  neutra- 
lity, it  was  evident  that  the  success  of  a  negotiation  with  one 
of  her  dependencies,  would  depend  on  the  degree  of  secrecy 
and  address  with  which  it  should  be  conducted;  and  captain 
Gibson  was  selected  as  a  person  possessing,  in  an  eminent  de- 
gree, the  qualifications  required  to  manage  it  with  the  best 
prospect  of  success.     Having  received  his  credentials,  he  re- 
paired to  Pittsburg,  with  twenty-five  picked  men  of  his  com- 
pany, and  descended  the  river  with  a  cargo  of  flour,  osten- 
sibly as  a  trader.  The  voyage  was  pregnant  with  adventures 
which  possess  all  the  freshness  of  the  incidents  of  a  romance; 
but  of  these,  the  limits  of  a  rapid  sketch  like  the  present,  pre- 
cludes the  insertion  of  all  but  one.     The  Indians  immediately 
on  the  banks  of  the  Ohio  and  Mississippi,  were  hostile  ;  and 
parties  of  them  in  canoes  frequently  evinced  an  intention  to 
attack  the  boat;  but  were  deterred  by  the  alacrity  and  deter- 
mined countenance  of  the  crew.     Captain  Gibson  arrived  at 
the  falls  of  the  Ohio,  in  the  evening  about  dusk,  after  having 
observed  no  indications  of  Indians  for  some  days,  and  being 
without  a  pilot,  he  determined  to  land  and  pass  the  falls  on 
the  ensuing  morning.     But  just  as  the  men  were  fastening 
the  boat  to  the  shore,  a  strong  party  of  Indians  appeared  on 
the  bank  above,  and  ordered  them  to  come  ashore.  Resistance 
would  have  been  useless,  as  it  was  plain  that  the  lives  of  the 
crew  were  in  their  power;  and  captain  Gibson  was  led  be- 
tween two  warriors  with  cocked  rifles  up  the  ascent  to  the  In- 
dian camp,  where  he  was  interrogated  by  the  chief.     He  told 
the  most  plausible  story  he  was  able  suddenly  to  invent,  of  his 
being  an  American  deserter,  on  his  way  to  join  the  British  in 
Florida;  but  just  as  he  seemed  to  have  made  a  favourable  im- 
pression on  the  chief,  his  surprise  may  more  easily  be  conceiv- 


168  GIBSON. 

ed  than  described,  at  being  interrupted  by  a  laugh  from  an  In- 
dian who  had  before  appeared  inattentive  to  every  thing  that 
was  passing,  and  who  exclaimed  in  very  good  English, 
"Well  done,  George  Gibson!  And  you  think  nobody  here 
knows  you!"  But  observing  captain  Gibson's  consternation, 
who  expected  nothing  less  than  to  be  shot  down  on  the  spot  by 
his  two  attendants  with  the  cocked  rifles,  he  added,  "But 
shew  no  signs  of  fear.  None  of  the  party  but  myself  under- 
stands a  word  of  English:  only  keep  your  own  secret  and 
leave  the  rest  to  me,  and  I  shall  contrive  to  bring  you  off," 
which  he  very  handsomely  did.  On  being  asked  by  captain 
Gibson  how  he  had  discovered  his  name,  he  answered  that  he 
had  lived  a  long  time  about  the  house  of  his  brother,  the  late 
general  Gibson,  at  Fort  Pitt,  where  he  often  heard  the  family 
speak  of  George;  that  he  knew  Thomas,  his  other  brother, 
and  as  he  at  once  had  discovered  captain  Gibson  to  be  a  bro- 
ther of  John's,  he  knew  that  he  could  be  no  other  than  George. 
He  had  received  kindnesses  from  general  Gibson,  and  in  this 
way  determined  to  shew  his  gratitude  for  them. 

Next  morning  they  were  permitted  to  depart,  after  being 
pilotted  by  an  Indian  over  the  falls.  They  were,  however, 
pursued  by  the  Indians,  who  either  suspected,  or  had  found  out 
their  true  character,  shortly  after  their  departure,  and  who 
came  up  with  them,  in  canoes,  at  a  place  called  Henderson's 
Bend.  They  were  suffered  to  approach  pretty  close,  when  a 
galling  fire  was  opened  on  them  by  the  crew  of  the  boat,  parti- 
cularly from  swivels  with  which  it  was  armed  ;  in  consequence 
of  which  the  Indians  were  thrown  into  such  confusion  that 
some  of  their  canoes  were  overturned,  and  they  desisted. 
They  however,  landed,  and  crossing  the  tongue  of  land  which 
formed  the  bend,  attacked  the  boat  from  both  sides  of  the 
river,  at  a  point  lower  down  ;  but  without  effect,  the  crew 
having  suffered  no  loss,  except  that  of  two  men  wounded. 

On  arriving  at  New  Orleans,  he  entered  on  his  negociation 
with  the  government,  in  which  he  was  successful,  being  assist- 
ed by  the  influence  of  Oliver  Pollock,  Esq.  an  American  gentle- 
man resident  there,  and  in  favour  with  Don  Galvos,  the  govern- 
or, and  to  whose  correspondent,  the  gunpowder  was  afterwards 
consigned.  But  as  suspicions  of  the  object  were  excited  in  the 
minds  of  the  British  merchants  and  commercial  agents  in  the 
place,  the  governor  deemed  it  prudent  to  have  captain  Gibson 
arrested.  In  a  few  days,  however,  he  was  permitted  to  escape, 
being  first  provided  with  horses  for  himself  and  his  servant. 
Having  ascended  the  river  as  far  as  the  first  high  land,  he 
struck  off  into  the  wilderness;  shortly  after  which  his  horses 
were  stolen  by  Indians,  and  the  rest  of  the  journey  (about 
eighteen  hundred  miles)  was  performed  on  foot  through  regions 


GIBSON.  169 

leforc  unvisitedby  a  white  man,  and  among  tribes  of  Indians 
whose  language  he  frequently  did  not  understand,  but  by 
whom  he  was  invariably  treated  with  kindness.  Arriving  at 
Pittsburg  in  the  garb  of  an  Indian,  and  with  a  complexion 
whose  native  brown  had  received  the  deepest  tint  which  the 
raj  i  of  the  sun  could  impart,  he  successfully  passed  himself 
for  an  Indian,  on  the  officers  of  the  garrison,  many  of  whom 
had  long  been  his  intimate  acquaintances. 

At  his  return  to  Williamsburg,  he  was  appointed  to  the 
command  of  a  state  regiment,  furnished  by  Virginia  to  make 
up  a  deficiency  in  her  contingent  of  continental  troops,  and 
received  by  the  United  States  on  the  continental  establish- 
ment. With  this  regiment  he  joined  the  army  under  general 
Washington,  shortly  before  the  evacuation  of  York  Island, 
and  was  arranged  to  the  division  of  general  Lee.  This  divi- 
sion followed  the  retreat  of  the  grand  army  with  lingering 
marches,  and  by  a  separate  route,  till  the  seizure  of  Lee's  per- 
son by  the  enemy,  near  Morristown,  when  it  quickened  its 
pace  under  Sullivan,  and  formed  a  junction  with  Washington's 
army,  at  the  cantonment,  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Delaware. 
At  the  battle  of  Trenton,  which  soon  followed,  colonel  Gib- 
son served  under  the  immediate  command  of  general  Wash- 
ington, and  participated  in  all  the  perils  and  toils  of  that  gal- 
lant little  army,  whose  subsequent  achievements  contributed 
so  much  to  reanimate  the  drooping  spirits  of  their  country. 

He  continued  to  serve  in  the  army  immediately  commanded 
by  general  Washington,  till  the  close  of  the  campaign  of  1778, 
and  was  in  nearly  all  the  principal  battles  which  were  fought 
during  that  time;  but  the  period  for  which  his  men  had  been 
enlisted,  having  expired,  and  the  regiment  not  being  recruit- 
ed, he  was  ordered  to  the  command  of  the  depot  of  prisoners 
near  York,  Pennsylvania,  which  he  retained  till  the  end  of 
the  war. 

At  the  peace  he  retired  to  his  farm  in  Cumberland  county, 
and  shortly  afterwards  received  from  the  supreme  executive 
council  of  the  state,  the  commission  of  county  lieutenant,  the 
duties  of  which  he  performed  till  the  beginning  of  1791.  At 
this  time,  being  in  Philadelphia,  the  seat  of  the  federal  gov- 
ernment, the  command  of  one  of  the  regiments,  then  raising 
for  general  St.  Clair's  expedition,  was  offered  to  him  by  pre- 
sident Washington,  in  terms  that  precluded  its  rejection.  The 
particulars  of  this  disastrous  campaign  are  too  well  remem- 
bered to  be  narrated  here.  The  troops  were  led  from  the  re- 
cruiting rendezvous  into  the  presence  of  the  enemy  without 
discipline,  and  destitute  of  many  of  the  appointments  and  mu- 
nitions of  war,  which  are  essential  to  the  efficiency  of  an  ar- 
my.    But  more  than  any  other  cause,  a  want  of  harmony  be- 

22 


179  GIBSON. 

tween  the  first  and  second  in  command,  contributed  to  pro- 
duce the  catastrophe  with  which  the  campaign  ended.  Colo- 
nel Gibson  was  the  intimate  friend  of  the  latter,  and  this  na- 
turally produced  a  want  of  cordiality  towards  him  on  the  part 
of  the  former,  which  was  so  markedly  evinced  the  day  pre- 
ceding the  action,  as  to  induce  him  to  express  a  determina- 
tion to  retire  from  the  service  as  soon  as  he  could  do  so  with- 
out disgrace.  Next  morning. he  was  at  the  head  of  his  regi- 
ment, which  was  literally  cut  to  pieces,  exhibiting  a  loss  of 
eighteen  commissioned  officers,  and  more  than  half  of  its  non- 
commissioned officers  and  privates.  At  the  close  of  the  ac- 
tion, and  in  the  last  of  several  charges  which  were  executed 
by  this  regiment  with  the  bayonet,  he  received  a  wound  in 
the  groin,  which  was  immediately  perceived  to  be  mortal.  He 
was  brought  off  the  field  by  his  nephew,  captain  Slough,  and 
one  or  two  others  of  his  surviving  officers,  and  languished  at 
Fort  Jefferson  till  the  11th  of  December  following,  bearing 
the  most  excruciating  pain,  in  a  wretched  hovel,  without  sur- 
gical attendance,  and  almostwithout  common  necessaries,  with 
an  equanimity  of  temper  for  which  he  had  all  his  life  been  re- 
markable. 

It  is  not  intended  to  speak  harshly  of  general  St.  Clair,  or 
to  attribute  to  him  an  intention  to  do  injustice  to  the  memory 
of  an  unfortunate  brother  officer.  He  has  himself  paid  the 
debt  of  nature,  and  it  would  now  be  dastardly  to  assail  his  re- 
putation, even  if  there  were  a  desire  to  do  so.  He  was  a  man 
of  integrity,  and  a  general  of  undoubted  talent;  and  the  coun- 
try owes  much  to  his  memory:  still,  however,  justice  is  equal- 
ly due  to  the  memory  of  the  subject  of  this  notice.  His  regi- 
ment composed  the  right  wing,  which  was  under  the  com- 
mand of  general  Butler;  but  as  a  corps,  it  was  under  the  im- 
mediate command  of  its  colonel.  This  may  be  a  satisfactory 
reason  why,  in  speaking  of  the  incidents  of  the  hattk,  he  was 
not  mentioned  in  the  official  report  But  the  particular  de- 
signation of  this  regiment  as  ''Butler's,  Patterson's  and 
Clarke's  battalions,"  might  lead  to  an  inference  that  the  name 
of  its  colonel  was  studiously  kept  out  of  view.  The  omission 
of  the  name  of  colonel  Gibson  may  have  been,  and  probably 
was,  accidental;  but  it  was  unjust.  That  his  personal  exer- 
tions during  the  action  fell  under  the  immediate  observation 
of  the  commanding  general,  is  proved  by  the  testimony  of 
captain  Denny  (one  of  the  general's  aids)  in  the  investigation 
which  took  place  by  a  committee  of  congress*  an  account  of 
which  was  afterwards  published  by  the  general  himself.  By 
this  it  appears,  (see  St.  Clair's  Narrative,  page  224,  5)  that 
the  general  frequently  gave  orders  to  colonel  Gibson  in  person; 
and  that  the  latter,  who  after  the  fall  of  general  Butler,  com- 


GREENE.  171 

mafided  the  right  wing,  by  direction  and  under  the  eye  of  gen- 
eral St.  Clair,  charged  a  body  of  Indians  who  had  broken  in- 
to the  camp  and  retook  the  part  of  it  of  which  they  had  taken 
possession.  There  is  no  point  in  which  an  officer  is  so  sensi- 
tive as  in  this:  yet  there  is  no  criterion  of  merit  more  fallaci- 
ous than  the  official  report  of  a  battle.  It  is  these  reports, 
however,  which,  for  the  most  part,  settle  the  question  with  the 
historian.  It  is  needless  to  mention,  that  the  account  of  this 
battle,  given  in  Marshal's  life  of  Washington,  is  taken  exclu- 
sively from  general  St.  Clair's  report:  and  this  renders  it  the 
more  necessary  to  attempt  an  act  of  justice  to  the  merits  of 
colonel  Gibson,  even  at  this  late  day. 

Perhaps  no  man  had  a  wider  circle  of  acquaintance  or  warm- 
er friends  among  the  principal  actors  in  our  great  political 
drama,  than  the  subject  of  this  memoir.  With  his  talents  and 
capacity  for  business,  and  with  the  influence  of  those  who  had 
not  only  the  power  but  the  inclination  to  serve  him;  a  man 
"with  a  single  eye  to  his  own  advancement,  would  at  once  have 
made  his  way  to  office  and  distinction;  but,  of  this,  he  was 
culpably  negligent.  He  never  sought  preferment,  and  when 
it  camp,  it  was  at  the  solicitation  of  his  friends,  not  of  him- 
self. Nature  had  endowed  him  with  talents  of  the  first  order. 
He  had  a  peculiar  talent  for  acquiring  languages,  on  account 
of  which,  his  schoolmates  gave  him  the  name  of  Latin  George. 
He  spoke  French,  Spanish  and  German,  the  latter  vernacu- 
larly and  with  the  purity  of  a  Saxon.  He  read  Italian,  and 
during  his  residence  on  the  frontier,  he  picked  up  enough  of 
the  Delaware  tongue  to  enable  him  to  converse  in  it  indiffer- 
ently well.  Without  being  profound,  his  acquirements  as  a 
scholar  were  respectable.  Perhaps  no  man,  with  the  same 
stock  of  information,  conversed  so  well.  Wit  he  undoubtedly 
possessed  in  an  eminent  degree,  which  he  used  with  such  dis- 
cretion as  never  to  make  an  enemy  or  lose  a  friend.  In  broad 
humor  he  was  confessedly  without  a  rival.  He  was  the  au- 
thor of  several  humorous  songs,  mostly  connected  with  the 
politics  of  the  revolution,  which  he  sang  with  incredible  ef- 
fect, but  which,  as  they  were  never  committed  to  paper,  have 
passed  away  along  with  him,  and  are  now  forgotten. 

GREENE,  Nathaniel,  a  major  general  in  the  army  of 
the  United  States,  and  one  of  the  most  distinguished  officers 
in  the  revolutionary  war,  was  born  in  the  town  of  Warwick, 
in  Rhode  Island,  in  the  year  1741.  His  parents  were  Qua- 
kers. His  father  wras  a  respectable  anchor-smith.  Being  in- 
tended for  the  business  his  father  pursued,  young  Greene  re- 
ceived nothing  but  a  common  English  education.  But,  to 
himself,  an  acquisition  so  humble  and  limited,  was  unsatisfac- 
tory and  mortifying;.    While  he  was  a  boy  he  learned  tlip 


17-2  GREENE. 

Latin  language  chiefly  by  his  own  industry.  Having  pro- 
cured, in  part  by  his  own  economy,  a  small  library,  he  spent 
his  evenings,  and  all  the  time  he  could  redeem  from  business, 
in  regular  study.  He  read  with  a  view  to  general  improve- 
ment: but  military  history  occupied  a  considerable  share  of 
his  attention,  and  constituted  his  delight. 

He  embarked  in  his  father's  line  of  business,  and  in  the  reg- 
ular pursuit  of  it  employed  a  considerable  portion  of  his  time, 
until  he  was  elevated,  at  an  unusually  early  age,  to  a  seat  in 
the  legislature  of  his  native  colony.  In  this  situation,  the 
commencement  of  the  revolutionary  war  found  him  ;  and,  the 
undisguised  part  which  he  took  in  promoting  an  appeal  to 
arms,  caused  him  to  be  dismissed  from  the  society  of  friends, 
of  which  he  had  antecedently  been  a  member. 

He  began  his  military  career  as  a  private  in  a  military  as- 
sociation, of  which  he  was  the  principal  promoter,  and  which 
was  chartered  under  the  name  of  the  Kentish  Guards,  and  com- 
manded by  general  James  M.  Varnum.  But  in  the  year  1775, 
Rhode  Island  having  raised  three  regiments  of  militia,  amount- 
ing in  the  whole  to  about  sixteen  hundred,  and  officered  by 
some  of  her  most  distinguished  inhabitants,  she  placed  them 
under  the  command  of  Mr.  Greene,  with  the  rank  of  Briga- 
dier general,  who,  without  loss  of  time,  conducted  them  to 
head-quarters,  in  the  village  of  Cambridge. 

Here,  having,  by  a  single  act  of  promotion,  after  a  noviciate 
of  about  seven  months,  exchanged  the  rank  of  a  private,  for 
that  of  a  general  officer,  he  soon  distinguished  himself,  in  his 
present  station,  and  offered  to  others,  a  most  salutary  example. 
This  he  did  in  a  very  special  manner,  and,  with  the  happiest 
effect,  by  his  prompt  obedience  to  the  commands  of  his  superi- 
ors, at  a  time,  when  the  subordination,  which  alone  can  ren- 
der an  army  efficient  and  powerful,  was  not  yet  established ; 
by  habits  of  strict  and  laborous  attention,  in  the  regular  study 
of  the  military  science ;  and  by  the  excellent  discipline,  which 
he  caused  to  be  introduced  into  his  own  brigade. 

General  Greene's  merit  and  abilities,  as  well  in  the  council 
as  in  the  field,  were  not  long  unnoticed  by  general  Washing- 
ton, who  reposed  in  him  the  utmost  confidence,  and  paid  a 
particular  deference  to  his  advice  and  opinion,  on  all  occa- 
sions of  doubt  and  difficulty. 

He  was  appointed  major  general  by  congress,  the  26th  ot 
August,  1776.  Towards  the  close  of  that  year,  he  was  at  the 
Trenton  surprise;  and,  at  the  beginning  of  the  next,  was  at 
the  battle  of  Princeton,  two  enterprises  not  more  happily 
planned  than  judiciously  and  bravely  executed,  in  both  of 
which  he  highly  distinguished  himself,  serving  his  noviciate 
under  the  American  Fabius* 


GREENE.  17S 

Ai  the  battle  of  Germantown  he  commanded  the  left  wing 
of  the  American  army;  and  his  utmost  endeavors  were  exert- 
ed to  retrieve  the  fortune  of  that  day,  in  which  his  conduct  met 
with  the  approbation  of  the  commander  in  chief. 

In  March,  1778,  he  was  appointed  quarter-master-general, 
which  office  he  accepted  under  a  stipulation,  that  his  rank  in 
the  army  should  not  be  affected  by  it.  and  that  he  should  re- 
tain his  right  to  command,  in  time  of  action,  according  to  his 
rank  and  seniority.  This  he  exercised  at  the  battle  of  Mon- 
mouth, where  he  commanded  the  right  wing  of  the  army. 

About  the  middle  of  the  same  year,  an  attack  being  planned 
by  the  Americans,  in  conjunction  with  the  French  fleet,  on  the 
British  garrison  at  Newport,  Rhode  Island,  general  Sullivan 
was  appointed  to  the  command,  under  whom  general  Greene 
served.  This  attempt  was  unsuccessful;  the  French  fleet  hav- 
ing sailed  out  of  the  harbor,  to  engage  lord  Howe's  fleet,  they 
were  dispersed  by  a  storm,  and  the  Americans  were  obliged 
to  raise  the  siege  of  Newport,  in  doing  which,  general  Greene 
displayed  a  great  degree  of  skill,  in  drawing  oft'  the  army  in 
safety. 

After  the  hopes  of  the  British  generals,  to  execute  some  de- 
cisive stroke  to  the  northward  were  frustrated,  they  turned 
their  attention  to  the  southern  states,  as  less  capable  of  de- 
fence, and  more  likely  to  reward  ,the  invaders  with  ample 
plunder.  A  grand  expedition  was,  in  consequence,  planned 
at  New- York,  where  the  army  embarked  on  the  26th  of  De- 
cember, 1779:  they  landed  on  the  11th  of  February,  1780, 
within  about  thirty  miles  of  Charleston,  which,  after  a  brave 
defence,  was  surrendered  to  sir  Henry  Clinton,  on  the  12th 
of  May. 

A  series  of  ill  success  followed  this  unfortunate  event.  The 
American  arms  in  South  Carolina,  were,  in  general,  unsuc- 
cessful; and  the  inhabitants  were  obliged  to  submit  to  the  in- 
vaders, whose  impolitic  severity  was  extremely  ill  calculated 
to  answer  any  of  the  objects  for  w  Inch  the  war  had  been  com- 
menced. 

Affairs  were  thus  circumstanced,  when  general  Washington 
appointed  general  Greene  to  the  command  of  the  American 
forces  in  the  southern  district.  He  arrived  at  Charlotte  on 
the  2d  day  of  December,  1780,  accompanied  by  general  Mor- 
gan, a  brave  officer,  who  had  distinguished  himself  to  the 
northward,  in  the  expedition  against  Burgoyne.  He  found 
the  forces  he  was  to  command,  reduced  to  a  very  small  num- 
ber, by  defeat  and  by  desertion.  The  returns  were  nine  hun- 
dred and  seventy  continentals,  and  one  thousand  and  thirteen 
militia.  Military  stores,  provisions,  forage,  and  all  things 
necessary,  were,  if  possible,  in  a  more  reduced  state  than  his 


174  GREENE. 

army.  His  men  were  without  pay,  and  almost  without  cloth- 
ing: and  supplies  of  the  latter  were  not  to  be  had,  but  from 
a  distance  of  two  hundred  miles.  In  this  perilous  and  em- 
barrassed situation,  he  had  to  oppose  a  respectable  and  victo- 
rious army.  Fortunately  for  him,  the  conduct  of  some  of 
the  friends  of  royalty  obliged  numbers,  otherwise  disposed  to 
remain  neuter,  to  take  up  arms  in  their  own  defence.  This, 
and  the  prudent  measures  the  general  took  for  remming  the 
innumerable  difficulties  and  disadvantages  he  was  surrounded 
with,  and  for  conciliating  the  affections  of  the  inhabitants, 
soon  brought  together  a  considerable  force;  far  inferior,  how- 
ever, to  that  of  the  British,  who  deemed  the  country  perfectly 
subjugated. 

After  he  had  recruited  his  forces  with  all  the  friends  to  the 
revolution  that  he  could  assemble,  he  sent  a  considerable  de- 
tachment under  general  Morgan,  to  the  western  extremities  of 
the  state,  to  protect  the  well-disposed  inhabitants  from  the  ra- 
vages of  the  topics.  This  force,  which  was  the  first  that  had 
for  a  considerable  time  appeared  there,  on  the  side  of  the  Ame- 
ricans, inspired  the  friends  of  liberty  with  new  courage,  so 
that  numbers  of  them  crowded  to  the  standard  of  general 
Morgan,  who,  at  length,  became  so  formidable,  that  lord 
Cornwallis  thought  proper  to  send  colonel  Tarleton,  to  dis- 
lodge him  from  the  station  he  had  taken.  This  officer  was  at 
the  head  of  a  thousand  regular  troops,  and  had  two  field 
pieces.  He  came  up,  on  the  17th  of  January,  1781,  at  a 
place  called  Cowpens,  with  general  Morgan,  whose  force  was 
much  inferior,  and  was  composed  of  two-thirds  militia,  and 
cue  third  continentals.  An  engagement  was  the  immediate 
consequence. 

Morgan  gained  a  complete  victory  over  an  officer,  the  ra- 
pidity and  success  of  whose  attacks,  until  that  time,  might 
have  entitled  him  to  make  use  of  the  declaration  of  Caesar, 
"veni,  vidi,  vici."  Upwards  of  five  hundred  of  the  British 
laid  down  their  arms,  and  were  made  prisoners;  a  very  con- 
siderable number  were  killed.  Eight  hundred  stand  of  arms, 
two  field  pieces,  and  thirty-five  baggage-wagons  fell  to  the 
victors,  who  had  only  twelve  killed  and  sixty  wounded. 

This  brilliant  success  quite  disconcerted  the  plan  of  opera- 
tions formed  by  lord  Cornwallis.  Having  entertained  no  idea 
of  any  enemy  to  oppose  in  South  Carolina,  the  conquest  of 
which  he  deemed  complete,  he  had  made  every  preparation 
for  carrying  his  arms  to  the  northward,  to  gather  the  laurels 
which,  he  imagined,  awaited  him.  He  now  found  himself 
obliged  to  postpone  this  design.  He  marched  with  rapidity 
after  general  Morgan,  in  hopes  not  only  to  recover  the  pri- 
soners, but  to  revenge  Tarleton's  losses.     The  American  ge- 


GREENE.  175 

ueral,  by  a  rapidity  of  movements,  and  the  interference  of 
Providence,  eluded  his  efforts;  and  general  Greene  effected  a 
junction  of  the  two  divisions  of  his  little  army,  on  the  7th  of 
February.  Still  he  was  so  far  inferior  to  lord  Cornwallis, 
that  he  was  obliged  to  retreat  northward;  and,  notwithstand- 
ing the  vigilance  and  activity  of  his  enemy,  he  brought  his 
men  in  safety  into  Virginia. 

In  Virginia,  general  Greene  received  some  reinforcements, 
and  had  the  promise  of  more;  on  which  he  returned  again  in- 
to North  Carolina,  where,  on  their  arrival,  he  hoped  to  be 
able  to  act  on  the  offensive.  He  encamped  in  the  vicinity  of 
lord  Cornwallis's  army.  By  a  variety  of  the  best  concerted 
manoeuvres,  he  so  judiciously  supported  the  arrangement  of 
his  troops,  by  the  secrecy  and  promptitude  of  his  motions, 
that,  during  three  weeks,  while  the  enemy  remained  near  him, 
he  prevented  them  from  taking  any  advantage  of  their  supe- 
riority; and  even  cut  off  all  opportunity  of  their  receiving 
succours  from  the  royalists. 

About  the  beginning  of  March,  he  effected  a  junction  with 
a  continental  regiment,  and  two  considerable  bodies  of  Vir- 
ginia and  Carolina  militia.  He  then  determined  on  attacking 
the  British  commander  without  loss  of  time,  "being  persua- 
ded," as  he  declared  in  his  subsequent  dispatches,  "  that,  if  he 
was  successful,  it  would  prove  ruinous  to  the  enemy;  and,  if 
otherwise,  that  it  would  be  but  a  partial  evil  to  him."  On 
the  14th,  be  arrived  at  Guilford  court-house,  the  British  then 
lying  at  twelve  miles  distance. 

His  army  consited  of  about  four  thousand  five  hundred  men, 
of  whom  near  two  thirds  were  North  Carolina  and  Virginia 
militia.  The  British  were  about  two  thousand  four  hundred; 
all  regular  troops,  and  the  greater  part  inured  to  toil  and  ser- 
vice in  their  long  expedition  under  lord  Cornwallis,  who,  on 
the  morning  of  the  15th,  being  apprised  of  general  Greene's 
intentions,  marched  to  meet  him.  The  latter  disposed  his 
army  in  three  lines ;  the  militia  of  North  Carolina  were  in 
front ;  the  second  line  was  composed  of  those  of  Virginia  ; 
and  the  third,  which  was  the  flower  of  the  army,  was  formed 
of  continental  troops,  near  fifteen  hundred  in  number.  They 
were  flanked  on  both  sides  by  cavalry  and  riflemen,  and  were 
posted  on  a  rising  ground,  a  mile  and  a  half  from  Guilford 
court  house. 

The  engagement  commenced  at  half  after  one  o'clock,  by  a 
brisk  cannonade ;  after  which,  the  British  advanced  in  three 
columns  ;  and  attacked  the  first  line,  composed  of  North  Ca- 
rolina militia.  These,  who,  probably,  had  never  been  in  ac- 
tion before,  were  panic  struck  at  the  approach  of  the  enemy; 
and  many  of  them  ran  away  without  firing  a  gun,  or  being' 


176  GREENE. 

fired  upon,  and  even  before  the  British  bad  come  nearer  than 
one  hundred  and  forty  yards  to  them.  Part  of  them,  however, 
fired ;  but  they  then  followed  the  example  of  their  comrades. 
Their  officers  made  every  possible  effort  to  rally  them  ;  but  the 
advantages  of  their  position,  nor  any  other  consideration, 
could  induce  them  to  maintain  their  ground.  This  shameful 
conduct  had  a  great  effect  upon  the  issue  of  the  battle.  The 
next  line,  however,  behaved  much  better.  They  fought  with 
great  bravery :  and  were  thrown  into  disorder ;  rallied,  re- 
turned to  the  charge,  and  kept  up  a  heavy  fire  for  a  long  time; 
but  were  at  length  broken,  and  driven  on  the  third  line,  when 
the  engagement  became  general,  very  severe,  and  very  bloody. 
At  length,  superiority  of  dicipline  carried  the  day  from  supe- 
riority of  numbers.  The  conflict  endured  an  hour  and  a  half; 
and  was  terminated  by  general  Greene's  ordering  a  retreat, 
when  he  perceived  that  the  enemy  w  ere  on  the  point  of  encir- 
cling his  troops. 

This  was  a  hard  fought  action.  Lord  Cornwallis  stated  his 
Josses  in  killed,  wounded,  and  missing,  at  five  hundred  and 
thirty-two,  among  whom  were  several  officers  of  considerable 
rank.  But  this  battle  was,  nevertheless,  decisive  in  its  conse- 
quences. Lord  Cornwallis  was,  three  days  after,  obliged  to 
make  aretrogade  motion:  and  to  return  to  Wilmington,  situ- 
ated two  hundred  miles  from  the  scene  of  action.  He  was 
even  under  the  necessity  of  abandoning  a  considerable  number 
of  those  who  Mere  dangerously  wounded.  The  loss  of  the 
Americans  was  about  four  hundred,  killed  and  wounded. 

Some  time  after  the  battle  of  Guilford,  general  Greene  de- 
termined to  return  to  South  Carolina,  to  endeavor  to  expel  the 
British  from  that  state.  His  first  object  was  to  attempt  the 
reduction  of  Camden,  where  lord  Rawdon  was  posted  with 
about  nine  hundred  men.  The  strength  of  this  place,  which 
was  covered  on  the  south  and  east  side  by  a  river  and  creek, 
and  to  the  westward  and  northward  by  six  redoubts,  render- 
ed it  impracticable  to  carry  it  by  storm,  with  the  small  army 
general  Greene  had,  consisting  of  about  seven  hundred  conti- 
nentals, the  militia  having  gone  home.  He,  therefore,  en- 
camped at  about  a  mile  from  the  town,  in  order  to  prevent  sup- 
plies from  being  brought  in,  and  to  take  advantages  of  such 
favorable  circumstances  as  might  occur. 

Lord  Rawdon's  situation  was  extremely  delicate.  Colonel 
Watson,  whom  he  had  some  time  before  detached,  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  eastern  frontiers,  and  to  whom  he  had,  on  in- 
telligence of  general  Greene's  intentions,  sent  orders  to  re- 
turn to  Camden,  was  so  effectually  watched  by  general  Ma- 
rion, that  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  obey.  His  lordship's 
applies  were,  moreover,  very  precarious;  and  should  general 


GREENE.  1T7 

Greene's  reinforcements  arrive,  he  might  be  so  closely  invest" 
ed,  as  to  be  at  length  obliged  to  surrender.  In  this  dilemma* 
the  best  expedient  that  suggested  itself,  was  a  bold  attack ; 
for  which  purpose,  lie  armed  every  person  with  him,  capable 
of  carrying  a  musket,  not  excepting  his  musicians  and  drum- 
mers. He  sallied  out  on  the  25th  of  April;  and  attacked  ge- 
neral Greene  in  his  camp.  The  defence  was  obstinate;  and 
for  some  part  of  the  engagement  the  advantage  appeared  to 
be  in  favor  of  America.  Lieutenant  colonel  Washington,  who 
commanded  the  cavalry,  had  at  one  time  not  less  than  two 
hundred  British  prisoners.  However,  by  the  misconduct  of 
one  of  the  American  regiments,  victory  was  snatched  from 
general  Greene,  who  was  compelled  to  retreat.  He  lost  in 
the  action  about  two  hundred  killed,  wounded  and  prisoners. 
Rawdon  lost  about  two  hundred  and  fifty-eight. 

There  was  a  great  similarity  between  the  consequences  of 
the  affair  at  Guilford,  and  those  of  this  action.  In  the  former, 
lord  Cornwallis  was  successful,  but  was  afterwards  oblig- 
ed to  retreat  two  hundred  miles  from  the  scene  of  action,  and 
for  a  time  abandoned  the  grand  object  of  penetrating  to  the 
northward.  In  the  latter,  lord  Rawdon  had  the  honor  of  the 
field:  but  was  shortly  after  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  aban* 
doning  his  post,  and  leaving  behind  him  a  number  of  sick  and 
wounded. 

The  evacuation  of  Camden,  with  the  vigilance  of  general 
Greene,  and  the  several  officers  he  employed,  gave  a  new  com* 
plexion  to  affairs  in  South  Carolina,  where  the  British  ascen- 
dancy declined  more  rapidly  than  it  had  been  established. 
The  numerous  forts,  garrisoned  by  the  enemy,  fell,  one  after 
the  other,  into  the  hands  of  the  Americans.  Orangeburg, 
Motte,  Watson,  Georgetown,  Granby,  and  others,  fort  Nine- 
ty-Six  excepted,  were  surrendered:  and  a  very  considerable 
number  of  prisoners  of  war,  with  military  stores  and  artillery, 
were  found  in  them. 

On  the  22d  May,  general  Greene  sat  down  before  Ninety- 
Six,  with  the  main  part  of  his  little  army.  The  siege  was 
carried  on  for  a  considerable  time  with  great  spirit:  and  the 
place  was  defended  with  equal  bravery.  At  length,  the  works 
were  so  far  reduced,  that  a  surrender  must  have  been  made 
in  a  few  days,  when  a  reinforcement  of  three  regiments,  from 
Europe,  arrived  at  Charleston,  which  enabled  lord  Rawdon 
to  proceed  to  relieve  this  important  post.  The  superiority  of 
the  enemy's  force  reduced  general  Greene  to  the  alternative 
of  abandoning  the  siege  altogether,  or,  previous  to  their  arri- 
val, of  attempting  the  fort  by  storm.  The  latter  was  more 
agreeable  to  his  enterprising  spirit:  and  an  attack  was  made 
on  the  morninaj  of  the  19tli  of  June.      He  was  repulsed,  with 

23 


IfS  GREENE. 

the  loss  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  men.     He  raised  the  siege* 
and  retreated  over  the  Saluda. 

Dr.  Ramsay,  speaking  of  the  state  of  affairs  about  this  pe- 
riod, says,  "truly  distressing  was  the  situation  of  the  Ameri- 
can army,  when  in  the  grasp  of  victory,  to  be  obliged  to  ex- 
pose themselves  to  a  hazardous  assault,  and  afterwards  to 
abandon  a  siege.  When  they  were  nearly  masters  of  the  whole 
country,  to  be  compelled  to  retreat  to  its  extremity,  and  after 
subduing  the  greatest  part  of  the  force  sent  against  them,  to 
be  under  the  necessity  of  encountering  still  greater  reinforce- 
ments, when  their  remote  situation  precluded  them  from  the 
hope  of  receiving  a  single  recruit.  In  this  gloomy  situation, 
there  were  not  wanting  persons  who  advised  general  Greene 
to  leave  the  state,  and  retire  with  his  remaining  forces  to  Vir- 
ginia. To  arguments  and  suggestions  of  this  kind  he  nobly 
replied,  'I  will  recover  the  country,  or  die  in  the  attempt.' 
This  distinguished  officer,  whose  genius  was  most  vigorous 
in  those  extremities,  when  feeble  minds  abandon  themselves  to 
despair,  adopted  the  only  resource  now  left  him,  of  avoiding 
an  engagement,  until  the  British  force  should  be  divided." 

Some  skirmishes,  of  no  great  moment,  took  place  between 
the  detached  parties  of  both  armies,  in  July  and  August.  Sep- 
tember the  9th,  general  Greene  having  assembled  about  two 
thousand  men,  proceeded  to  attack  tbe  British,  who,  under 
the  command  of  colonel  Stewart,  were  posted  at  Eutaw 
Springs.  The  American  force  was  drawn  up  in  two  lines: 
the  first,  composed  of  Carolina  militia,  was  commanded  by 
generals  Marion  and  Pickens,  and  colonel  de  Malmedy.  The 
second,  which  consisted  of  continental  troops,  from  North 
Carolina,  Virginia,  and  Maryland,  was  commanded  by  gene- 
ral  Sumpter,  lieutenant  colonel  Campbell,  and  colonel  Wil- 
liams; lieutenant  colonel  Lee,  with  his  legion,  covered  the 
right  flank;  and  lieutenant  colonel  Henderson,  with  the  state 
troops,  covered  the  left.  A  corps  de  reserve  was  formed  of 
the  cavalry,  under  lieutenant  colonel  Washington,  and  the 
Delaware  troops  under  captain  Kirkwood.  As  the  Ameri- 
cans came  forward  to  the  attack,  they  fell  in  with  some  ad- 
vanced parties  of  the  enemy,  at  about  two  or  three  mile? 
ahead  of  the  main  body.  These  being  closely  pursued,  were 
driven  back,  and  the  action  soon  became  general.  The  militia 
were  at  length  forced  to  give  way,  but  were  bravely  supported 
by  the  second  line.  In  the  hottest  part  of  tbe  engagement, 
general  Greene  ordered  the  Maryland  and  Virginia  continen- 
tals to  charge  with  trailed  arms.  This  decided  the  fate  of 
the  day.  "Nothing,"  says  Dr.  Ramsay,  "could  surpass  the 
intrepidity  of  both  officers  and  men  on  this  occasion.  They 
rushed  on  in  good  order  through  a  heavy  cannonade,  and  a 


GREENE.  179 

shower  of  musketry,  with  such  unshaken  resolution,  that  they 
bore  down  all  before  them."  The  British  were  broken, 
closely  pursued,  and  upwards  of  five  hundred  of  them  taken 
prisoners.  They,  however,  made  a  fresh  stand,  in  a  favour- 
able position,  in  impenetrable  shrubs  and  a  picquetted  garden. 
Lieutenant  colonel  Washington,  after  having  made  every  ef- 
fort to  dislodge  them,  was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner. 
Four  six  pounders  were  brought  forward  to  play  upon  them, 
but  they  fell  into  their  hands ;  and  the  endeavours  to  drive 
them  from  their  station,  being  found  impracticable,  the  Ame- 
ricans retired,  leaving  a  strong  picquet  on  the  field  of  battle. 
Their  loss  was  about  five  hundred;  that  of  the  British  upwards 
of  eleven  hundred. 

General  Greene  was  honoured  by  congress  with  a  British 
standard,  and  a  gold  medal,  emblematical  of  the  engagement, 
"for  his  wise,  decisive,  and  magnanimous  conduct,  in  the  ac- 
tion at  Eutaw  Springs,  in  which,  with  a  force  inferior  in 
number  to  that  of  the  enemy,  he  obtained  a  most  signal  vic- 
tory." 

In  the  evening  of  the  succeeding  day,  colonel  Stewart  aban- 
doned his  post,  and  retreated  towards  Charleston,  leaving 
behind  upwards  of  seventy  of  his  wounded,  and  a  thousand 
stand  of  arms.  He  was  pursued  a  considerable  distance,  but 
in  vain. 

The  battle  of  Eutaw  produced  the  most  signal  consequences 
in  favour  of  America.  The  British,  who  had  for  such  a 
length  of  time,  lorded  it  absolutely  in  South  Carolina,  were, 
shortly  after  that  event,  obliged  to  confine  themselves  in 
Charleston,  whence  they  never  ventured  but  to  make  preda- 
tory excursions,  with  bodies  of  cavalry,  which  in  general,  met 
with  a  very  warm  and  very  unwelcome  reception. 

In  Dr.  Caldwell's  memoirs  of  the  life  of  general  Greene, 
we  have  the  following  interesting  story,  as  connected  with 
the  severe  conflict  at  Eutaw  Springs: 

"Two  young  officers,  bearing  the  same  rank,  met  in  per- 
sonal combat.  The  American,  perceiving  that  the  Briton  had 
a  decided  superiority  in  the  use  of  the  sabre,  and  being  himself 
of  great  activity,  and  personal  strength  almost  gigantic,  clos- 
ed with  his  adversary  and  made  him  his  prisoner. 

"  Gentlemanly,  generous,  and  hfgh  minded,  this  event,  add- 
ed to  a  personal  resemblance  which  they  were  observed  to  bear 
to  each  other,  produced  between  these  two  youthful  warriors, 
an  intimacy,  which  increased  in  a  short  time,  to  a  mutual  at- 
tachment. 

"  Not  long  after  the  action,  the  American  officer  returning 
home,  on  furlough,  to  settle  some  private  business,  obtained 
permission  for  his  friend  to  accompany  him. 


180  GREENE. 

"Travelling  without  attendants  or  guard,  they  were  both 
armed  and  well  mounted.  Part  of  their  route  lay  through  a 
settlement,  highly  disaffected  to  the  American  cause. 

"When,  in  the  midst  of  this,  having,  in  consequence  of  a 
shower  of  rain,  thrown  around  them  their  cloaks,  which  con- 
cealed their  uniforms,  they  were  suddenly  encountered  by  a 
detachment  of  tories. 

"The  young  American,  determined  to  die  rather  than  be- 
come a  prisoner,  especially  to  men  whom  he  held  in  abhor- 
rence for  disloyalty  to  their  country,  and  the  generous  Briton 
resolved  not  to  survive  one  by  whom  he  had  been  distinguish- 
ed and  treated  so  kindly,  they  both  together,  with  great  spirit 
and  self  possession,  charged  the  royalists,  having  first  made  sig- 
nals in  their  rear,  as  if  directing  others  to  follow  them  ;  and 
thus,  without  injury  on  either  side,  had  the  address  and  good 
fortune,  to  put  the  party  to  flight. 

"Arriving  in  safety  at  the  place  of  their  destination,  what 
was  their  surprise  and  augmented  satisfaction,  on  finding, 
from  some  questions  proposed  by  the  American  officer's  father, 
that  they  were  first  cousins! 

"  With  increasing  delight,  the  young  Briton  passed  several 
weeks  in  the  family  of  his  kinsman,  where  the  writer  of  this 
narrative  saw  him  daily,  and  often  listened,  with  the  rapture 
of  a  child,  to  the  checkered  story  of  his  military  adventures. 

"To  heighten  the  occurrence,  and  render  it  more  roman- 
tic, the  American  officer  had  a  sister,  beautiful  and  accom- 
plished, whose  heart  soon  felt  for  the  gallant  stranger,  more 
than  the  affection  due  to  a  cousin.  The  attachment  was  mu- 
tual. 

"But  here  the  adventure  assumes  a  tragical  cast.  The 
youthful  foreigner,  being  exchanged,  was  summoned  to  return 
to  his  regiment.  The  message  was  fatal  to  his  peace. — 
But  military  honour  demanded  the  sacrifice;  and  the  lady, 
generous  and  high  minded  as  himself,  would  not  he  instru- 
mental in  dimming  his  laurels. 

"The  parting  scene  was  a  high-wrought  picture  of  tender- 
ness and  sorrow.  On  taking  leave,  the  parties  mutually 
bound  themselves,  by  a  solemn  promise,  to  remain  single  a 
certain  number  of  years,  in  the  hope  that  an  arrangement 
contemplated  might  again  bring  them  together.  A  few  weeks 
afterwards  the  lady  expired  under  an  attack  of  small-pox. 
The  fate  of  the  officer  we  never  learnt." 

It  has  already  been  mentioned,  that  Greene's  army  was  in 
a  deplorable  situation,  and  suffered  under  every  privation.  In 
his  letters  to  the  secretary  at  war,  he  says,  "  We  have  three 
hundred  men  without  arms,  and  more  than  one  thousand  so 
naked,  that  they  can  be  put  on  duty  only  in  cases  of  a  despe- 


GREENE.  181 

rate  nature.  We  have  been  all  winter  in  want  of  arms  and 
clothing.  The  subsistence  of  the  army  is  wretched,  and  we 
are  without  rum,  or  any  kind  of  spirits." 

Again,  he  says,  **  Our  difficulties  are  so  numerous,  and 
our  wants  so  pressing,  that  I  have  not  a  moment's  relief  from 
the  most  painful  anxieties.  I  have  more  embarrassment  than 
it  is  proper  to  disclose  to  the  world.  Let  it  suffice  to  say,  that 
this  part  of  the  United  States,  lias  had  a  narrow  escape.  JF 
have  been  seven  months  in  the  Jield  without  taking  off  my 
clothes. " 

Judge  Johnson,  in  his  life  of  general  Greene,  says,  "At 
the  battle  of  the  Eutaw  Springs,  Greene  says,  *  that  hundreds 
of  my  men  were  as  naked  as  they  were  born.,  Posterity  will 
scarcely  believe,  that  the  bare  loins  of  many  brave  men  who 
carried  death  into  the  enemy's  ranks  at  the  Eutaw,  were  gall- 
ed by  their  cartouch-boxes,  while  a  folded  rag  or  a  tuft  of 
moss  protected  the  shoulders  from  sustaining  the  same  injury 
from  the  musket.  Men  of  other  times  will  enquire,  by  what 
magic  was  this  army  kept  together?  By  what  supernatural 
power  was  it  made  to  fight?" 

During  the  relaxation  that  followed,  a  dangerous  plot  was 
formed  by  some  turbulent  and  mutinous  persons  in  the  army, 
to  deliver  up  their  brave  general  to  the  British.  This  trea- 
sonable design  owed  its  rise  to  the  hardships,  wants  and  ca- 
lamities of  the  soldiers,  who  were  ill  paid,  ill  clothed,  and  ill 
fed.  The  conspirators  did  not  exceed  twelve  in  number;  and 
a  providential  discovery  defeated  the  project. 

The  following  account  of  the  contemplated  mutiny  of  the 
army  under  general  Greene,  we  copy  from  "  Garden's  anec- 
dotes of  the  revolutionary  war  :" 

"  Destitute  of  clothing  ;  stinted  in  food  ;  severely  afflicted 
by  disease,  discontent  began  to  manifest  itself  in  the  most  ap- 
palling colours.  The  first  indication  of  it,  was  a  placard  near 
the  quarters  of  general  St.  Clair,  to  this  effect;  "can  soldiers 
he  expected  to  do  their  duty,  clothed  in  rags,  and  fed  on  rice?" 
Suspicion  attaching  to  a  few  disorganizing  characters,  they, 
to  escape  punishment,  went  over  to  the  enemy,  and  tranquili- 
ty was,  for  a  time,  restored.  The  embers,  however,  that  had 
been  smothered,  but  not  extinguished,  were  speedily  revived, 
and  were  ready  to  burst  into  a  flame,  through  the  intrigues  of 
a  sergeant  of  the  Pennsylvanians,  and  two  domestics  attached 
to  the  family  of  general  Greene,  who  opened  a  correspondence 
with  the  enemy,  and  engaged,  on  a  given  day,  to  deliver  up 
their  commander,  and  every  officer  of  distinction.  A  female, 
who  had  noticed  the  murmuring  of  the  disaffected,  and  unguard- 
ed expressions  of  the  ringleader,  occasioned  the  discovery  of 
the  plot.     The  light  troops,  who  had  for  some  little  time  been 


182  GREENE. 

indulged  with  comfortable  quarters  in  the  rear,  to  recover  Iron* 
the  fatigues  of  severe  service,  were  immediately  brought  for- 
ward. To  them,  not  a  shade  of  suspicion  attached.  Wash- 
ington's, Gill's  and  the  legion  cavalry,  took  their  station  in 
advance.  The  Dclawares,  Smith's  company  of  Virginia  re- 
gulars, and  legion  infantry,  were  drawn  nearer  to  head-quar- 
ters. A  troop  of  horse  was  pushed  forward  to  watch  the  mo- 
tions of  the  enemy.  The  sergeant  was  arrested,  tried,  and  ex- 
ecuted. The  fate  of  the  country  was  suspended  by  a  thread  ; 
destruction  would  inevitably  have  followed  irresolution. — 
Greene  was  sensible  of  it,  and  striking  with  decision,  gave  a 
death  blow  to  faction,  and  every  symptom  of  revolt.  It  was 
a  melancholy  sight,  awful  indeed,  and  appalling,  to  behold  a 
youth,  an  Apollo  in  shape,  as  fine  a  military  figure  as  ever 
trod  the  earth,  led  forth  to  pay  the  penalty  of  his  perfidy.  He 
walked  with  a  firm  step,  and  composed  countenance,  distri- 
buting as  he  passed  along,  to  such  of  his  companions  as  ap- 
proached him,  .several  articles  of  his  clothing,  at  that  period 
precious  legacies.  His  hat  he  gave  to  one,  his  coat  to  ano- 
ther, his  sleeve  buttons  to  a  third.  Every  countenance  ex- 
pressed sorrow,  but  not  a  murmur  was  heard.  Arrived  at  the 
fatal  spot,  he  in  few  words,  but  in  the  most  impressive  man- 
neer,  called  upon  his  comrades,  "  not  to  sully  their  glory,  nor 
forego  the  advantages  they  would  speedily  realize  from  the 
termination  of  the  war:  and  if  a  thought  of  desertion  was  har- 
boured in  their  bosoms,  at  once  to  discard  it.  I  have  no  cause 
(he  added)  to  complain  of  the  Court;  I  certainly  spoke  impru- 
dently, and  from  the  evidence  given  of  my  guilt,  they  could 
not  have  acted  otherwise."  He  then  gave  the  signal  to  the 
platoon  selected  from  his  own  corps ;  was  fired  on,  and  ex- 
pired. Great  pains  were  taken  by  General  Greene,  as  soon 
as  suspicion  was  excited,  to  make  a  full  discovery.  As  soon, 
however,  as  sufficient  evidence  was  obtained,  he  waited  not  to 
ascertain  the  extent  of  the  evil,  but  by  a  decided  step  crushed 
it  effectually.  The  delay  of  a  few  hours  must  have  occasion- 
ed the  loss  of  our  officers,  and  probably  the  death  of  every 
faithful  soldier.  O'Neal  had  been  sent  to  watch  the  motions 
of  the  enemy,  accompanied  by  Middleton  as  his  second,  and 
captain  Rudolph,  who  had  volunteered.  Passing  Bacon  and 
Eagle  bridges,  they  patrolled  the  road  for  several  miles  below 
Dorchester,  and  seeing  no  appearance  of  any  party  without 
their  lines,  wheeled  his  troop  to  return.  Rudolph,  with  two 
dragoons,  was  in  advance.  On  a  sudden  three  well  mounted 
black  troopers  appeared  in  front.  These  were  immediately 
charged.  The  chief  fell  by  the  arm  of  a  Pope,  a  soldier  of 
distinguished  gallantry.  Rudolph  dismounted  the  second,  and 
made  him  a  prisoner ;  the  third  escaped.     The  captive  being 


GREENE.  183 

asked  if  the  British  calvary  were  out  in  force,  declared ; 
•'That  a  single  troop  under  the  command  of  captain  Dawkins, 
had  gone  by  the  way  of  Goose  Creek  Bridge,  a  few  miles 
higher,  and  were  to  return  by  the  way  of  Dorchester."  Know- 
ing the  firmness  of  Rudolph,  the  valour  of  Middleton,  and 
tried  bravery  of  his  troop,  O'Neal  pushed  forward  in  full  ex- 
pectation of  a  complete  triumph.  Dawkins  was  soon  discovered 
passing  through  the  village  of  Dorchester,  and  bearing  down 
upon  him.  The  charge  was  sounded  on  both  sides,  and  a 
fierce  conflict  began  ;  but  before  any  material  advantage  could 
he  gained,  the  bugle  was  heard  from  another  quarter  and  in- 
fantry rose  in  every  direction.  A  road  leading  towards  Goose 
creek,  afforded  the  only  chance  of  retreat:  this  was  immediately 
taken,  and  though  exposed  to  a  heavy  fire,  the  officers,  and 
most  of  the  privates  escaped  without  injury.  Nine  men  and 
fifteen  horses  of  the  troop  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy." 

The  surrender  of  lord  Cornwallis,  whose  enterprising  spi- 
rit had  been  by  the  British  ministry  expected  to  repair  the 
losses,  and  wipe  away  the  disgrace  which  had  been  incurred 
through  the  inactivity  and  indolence  of  other  generals,  having 
convinced  them  of  the  impractability  of  subjugating  Ameri- 
ca, they  discontinued  offensive  operations  in  every  quarter. 
From  the  beginning  of  the  year  1782,  it  was  currently  re- 
ported that  Charleston  was  speedily  to  be  evacuated:  it  was 
officially  announced  the  7th  of  August,  but  it  did  not  take 
place  until  the  17th  of  December. 

The  happy  period  at  length  arrived,  when,  by  the  virtue 
and  bravery  of  her  sons,  aided  by  the  bounty  of  heaven,  Ame- 
rica compelled  her  invaders  to  recognise  her  independence. — 
Then  her  armies  quitted  the  tented  fields,  and  retired  to  cul- 
tivate the  arts  of  peace  and  happiness.  Amongst  the  rest, 
general  Greene  revisited  his  native  country,  where  he  proved, 
jiimself  as  valuable  a  citizen,  as  the  Carolinas  had  witnessed 
him  a  gallant  officer. 

We  have  mentioned  Judge  Johnson's  life  of  general  Greene. 
This  work  is  in  two  volumes  quarto,  and  gives  a  particular 
account  of  the  transactions,  and  indeed  of  the  campaigns,  &c. 
of  the  war  in  the  southern  states,  by  William  Johnson,  Esq* 
of  South  Carolina,  and  one  of  the  Judges  of  the  Supreme 
Court  of  the  United  States.  At  the  conclusion  of  the  work, 
he  makes  the  following  just  remarks: 

"WTe  will  now  dismiss  the  reader  with  these  remarks.  To 
the  ijoung  and  the  lowly,  the  incidents  of  general  Greene's  life 
hold  out  a  most  valuable  moral.  They  show,  with  certainty, 
that  there  is  no  condition  which  may  not  be  improved  by  vir- 
tue and  perseverance;  that  the  acquirement  of  knowledge 
leads  directly  to  eminence;  and  that  the  most  persevering  la- 


184  GREENE. 

bour  is  not  inconsistent  with  the  improvement  of  the  mind, 
when  the  mind  is  steadily  bent  upon  its  own  improvement. 
And  let  no  discouraging  inferences  be  drawn  from  the  perse- 
cutions which  he  underwent  from  envy  and  detraction.  They 
will  fasten  on  eminence;  and  to  quote  the  general's  own  lan- 
guage, "  every  one  but  an  idiot  will  have  enemies."  These 
are  among  the*  trials  incident  to  human  life;  and  they  will  at- 
tack those  most  severely,  who  raise  themselves  from  obscu- 
rity. Men  cannot  bear  mortifying  comparisons;  and,  there- 
fore, envy  those  most,  who  have  risen  from  among  themselves. 
But,  it  is  a  most  consoling  evidence  that  truth  will  never  be 
abandoned;  that  after  such  a  lapse  of  time,  we  find  the  fame  of 
this  great  and  good  man,  vindicated  by  the  production  of  evi- 
dence which  cannot  be  resisted.  The  plain  inference  is,  that 
we  do  our  duty,  and  trust  to  Providence  for  the  rest. 

"  To  all  we  will  take  the  liberty  to  suggest  another  re- 
mark. It  is  related  of  general  Washington,  that  after  the  de- 
feat of  Braddock,  an  eminent  divine  declared  from  the  pulpit, 
'that  Heaven  had  preserved  that  young  man  for  some  great 
and  wise  purposes.' 

"If  we  contemplate  the  early  events  of  general  Greene's  life, 
we  perceive  in  them,  a  striking  aptness  of  preparation  for  the 
part  he  was  destined  to  act  in  the  revolutionary  contest.  Sub- 
dued, but  not  broken  down  under  parental  authority,  he  learn- 
ed obedience  and  dicipline,  and  how  to  inforce  it  on  others ; 
but,  above  all,  self-command.  Cast  on  himself  for  the  grati- 
fication of  every  wish  of  his  heart,  he  learned  that  great  les- 
son of  self-dependence,  which  he  had,  so  often  afterwards,  to 
bring  into  exercise.  With  nerves  strung  to  labour,  he  was 
prepared  for  all  the  fatigues  and  hardships  of  war;  and  habits 
of  temperance  taught  him  to  bear,  and  by  his  example,  to 
teach  others  to  bear,  all  privations  of  war.  Yet,  all  this  pre- 
paration was  casual,  and  less  than  all  things,  intended  to  fit 
him  for  a  military  life. 

"Nor  was  his  moral  and  religious  education  less  adapted 
to  the  part  he  was  to  act  on  the  theatre  of  the  revolution.  The 
religion  of  the  Quakers,  stripped  of  those  tenets  which  unfit  it 
for  this  nether  world,  is  really  the  political  religion  of  the 
United  States.  Universal  benevolence,  and  unbounded  tole- 
ration, were  their  favourite  doctrines.  He  still  continued  a 
Quaker,  as  far  as  the  religion  of  the  Quakers  comported  with 
the  defence  of  civil  liberty;  and  thus  blended  the  soldier  with 
all  that  stern  morality,  and  simplicity  of  character,  which 
distinguish  the  sect  he  belonged  to." 

In  October,  1785,  general  Greene  sailed  to  Georgia,  where 
he  had  a  considerable  estate,  not  far  distant  from  Savannah. 
Here  he  passed  away  his  time,  occupied  in  his  domestic  con- 
cerns, until  the  hour  of  his  mortality  approached, 


GREENE.  185 

Walking  out,  without  his  hat,  in  the  afternoon  of  the  15th 
of  June,  1786.  the  day  being  intensely  hot,  he  was  suddenly 
attacked  with  such  a  vertigo  and  prostration  of  strength,  as 
to  be  unable  to  return  to  his  house,  without  assistance.  The 
affection  was  what  is  denominated  a  "stroke  of  the  sun."  It 
was  succeeded  by  fever,  accompanied  with  stupor,  delirium, 
and  a  disordered  stomach.  All  efforts  to  subdue  it  proved 
fruitless,  and  it  carried  him  off  on  the  19th  of  the  same  month. 

When  the  melancholy  account  of  his  death  arrived  at  Sa- 
vannah, the  people  were  struck  with  the  deepest  sorrow.  All 
business  was  suspended.  The  shops  and  stores  throughout 
the  town  were  shut;  and  the  shipping  in  the  harbor  had  their 
colours  half-masted. 

The  body  was  brought  to  Savannah,  and  interred  on  the 
20th.  The  funeral  procession  was  attended  by  the  Cincinna- 
ti, militia,  &c.  &c. 

Immediately  after  the  interment  of  the  corpse,  the  mem- 
bers of  the  Cincinnati  retired  to  the  coffee-house  in  Savannah, 
and  came  to  the  following  resolution: 

"That,  as  a  token  of  the  high  respect  and  veneration  in 
which  this  society  hold  the  memory  of  their  late  illustrious 
brother,  major-general  Greene,  deceased,  George  Washing- 
ton Greene,  his  eldest  son,  he  admitted  a  member  of  this  so- 
ciety, to  take  his  seat  on  his  arriving  at  the  age  of  18  years." 

General  Greene  left  behind  him  a  wife  and  five  children. 

On  Tuesday  the  12th  of  August,  1786,  the  United  States 
in  congress  assembled,  came  to  the  following  resolution: 

"That  a  monument  be  erected  to  the  memory  of  Nathaniel 
Greene,  Esq.  at  the  seat  of  the  federal  government,  with  the 
following  inscription: 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of 
NATHANIEL  GREENE,  Esq. 

Who  departed  this  life, 
On  the  19th  of  June,  mdcclxxxvi: 

LATE  MAJOR  GENERAL 

In  the  service  of  the  United  States, 
And  commander  of  their  army 
In  the  southern  department. 
The  United  States,  in  Congress  assembled, 
In  honour  of  his 
Patriotism,  valour,  and  ability, 
Have  erected  this  monument. 
GREENE,  Christopher,  lieutenant  colonel  commandant 
of  one  of  the  Rhode  Island  regiments  in  the  continental  ser- 
vice, during  the  revolutionary  war,  was  born  in  the  town  of 
Warwick,  in  the  state  of  Rhode  Island,  in  the  year  1737. 
Philip  Greene,  the  father  of  the  lieutenant  colonel,  was  agen- 

24 


186  GREENE. 

tleman  of  the  first  respectability  in  the  state,  beloved  for  his 
virtues,  and  admired  for  his  honourable  discharge  of  the  du- 
ties of  the  various  stations  to  which  he  was  called,  the  last 
of  which  placed  him  upon  the  bench  as  judge  of  the  common 
pleas  in  the  county  of  Kent. 

Christopher  received  all  the  advantages  in  the  best  line  of 
education  procurable  in  our  country,  which  he  took  care  to  im- 
prove by  the  most  assiduous  application. 

He  was  particularly  attached  to  the  study  of  mathematics, 
in  which  he  made  great  proficiency,  and  thus  laid  up  a  stock 
of  knowledge  exactly  suitable  for  that  profession  to  which  he 
was  afterwards  unexpectedly  called. 

Exhibiting  in  early  life  his  capacity  and  amiability,  he  was 
elected,  by  his  native  town  when  very  young,  to  a  seat  in  the 
colonial  legislature,  which  he  continued  to  fill  by  successive 
elections  until  the  commencement  of  the  revolutionary  war. 
At  this  period  the  legislature  wisely  established  a  military 
corps,  styled,  "Kentish  guards,"  for  the  purpose  of  fitting 
the  most  select  of  her  youth  for  military  office.  In  this  corps 
young  Greene  was  chosen  a  lieutenant,  am!  in  May,  1775,  he 
was  appointed  by  the  legislature  a  major  in  what  was  then 
called  "  an  army  of  observations,"  one  brigade  of  one  thou- 
sand six  hundred  effectives,'  under  the  orders  of  his  near  rela- 
tion, general  Nathaniel  Greene,  afterwards  so  celebrated. 

From  this  situation  he  was  called  to  the  command  of  a  com- 
pany of  infantry,  in  one  of  the  regiments  raised  by  the  state 
for  continental  service.  The  regiment  to  which  he  belonged 
was  attached  to  the  army  of  Canada,  conducted  by  general 
Montgomery,  in  the  vicissitudes  and  difficulties  of  which  cam- 
paign captain  Greene  shared,  evincing  upon  all  occasions  that, 
unyielding  intrepidity  which  marked  his  military  prowess 
in  every  after  scene.  In  the  attack  upon  Quebec,  which  ter- 
minated as  well  the  campaign  as  the  life  of  the  renowned  Mont- 
gomery, captain  Greene  belonged  to  the  column  which  enter- 
ed the  lower  town,  and  was  made  prisoner. 

His  elevated  mind  illy  brooked  the  ills  and  irksomeness  or 
captivity,  though  in  the  hands  of  the  enlightened  and  humane. 
Carleton ;  and  it  has  been  uniformly  asserted,  that  while  a 
prisoner,  Greene  often  declared  that  "he  would  never  again 
betaken  alive;"  a  resolution  unhappily  fulfilled. 

As  soon  as  captain  Greene  was  exchanged  he  repaired  to 
his  regiment,  with  which  he  continued  without  intermission, 
performing  with  exemplary  propriety  the  various  duties  of  his 
progressive  stations,  when  he  was  promoted  to  the  majority 
of  VarnunTs  regiment.  In  1777,  he  succeeded  to  the  com- 
mand of  the  regiment,  and  was  selected  by  "Washington  to 
take  charge  of  fort  Mercer,  on  the  river  Delaware,  (common- 


GREENE,  187 

\y  called  Red  Bank)  the  safe  keeping  of  which  post,  with  that 
of  fort  Mifflin,  (Mud  Island)  was  very  properly  deemed  of 
primary  importance. 

The  following  account  of  the  attack  upon  Red  Bank  and 
fort  Mifflin,  we  select  from  Marshall's  life  of  Washington  : 

The  British  general  and  admiral,  Howe,  immediately  after 
the  hattle  of  Brandywine,  made  a  combined  attack,  by  land 
and  water,  on  the  forts,  Mercer  and  Mifflin. 

"  After  effecting  a  passage  through  the  works  sunk  in  the 
river  at  Billingspoit,  other  difficulties  still  remained  to  he  en- 
countered by  the  ships  of  war.  Several  rows  of  chevaux-de 
frize  had  been  sunk  about  half  a  mile  below  Mud  island,  which 
were  protected  by  the  guns  of  forts  Mifflin  and  Mercer,  as 
well  by  the  moveable  water  force,  so  that  to  raise  the  frames 
and  clear  the  channel  was  impracticable,  without  having  first 
taken  the  forts. 

"On  the  21st,  colonel  count  Donop  a  German  officer,  who 
had  gained  great  reputation  in  the  course  of  the  war,  crossed 
the  Delaware  at  Cooper's  ferry,  opposite  Philadelphia,  at  the 
lidad  of  a  detachment  of  Hessians,  consisting,  besides  light 
infantry  and  chasseurs,  of  three  battalions  of  grenadiers  and 
the  regiment  of  Mesbach,  amounting  to  about  twelve  hundred 
men,  in  order  to  proceed  next  day  to  the  attack  of  the  fort  at 
Red  Bank. 

"  It  was  a  part  of  the  plan,  that,  as  soon  as  the  attack 
should  be  made  by  colonel  count  Donop,  a  heavy  cannonade 
on  fort  Mifflin  should  commence  from  the  batteries  on  the 
Pennsylvania  shore,  and  that  the  Vigilant,  a  ship  of  war, 
should  pass  through  a  narrow  and  very  confined  channel  be- 
tween Hog  island,  next  below  Mud  island,  and  the  Pennsyl- 
vania shore,  so  as  to  attack  the  fort  in  the  rear.  Meanwhile, 
to  divert  the  attention  of  the  garrison,  and  of  the  marine 
force,  from  the  Vigilant  and  from  other  more  serious  attacks, 
the  advanced  frigates,  together  with  the  Isis  and  Augusta, 
were  to  approach  fort  Mifflin  in  front,  up  the  main  channel, 
as  far  as  the  impediments  in  it  would  admit,  and  from  thence 
batter  the  works. 

"  The  fortifications  at  Red  Bank  consisted  of  extensive 
outer  works,  within  which  was  an  intrenchment  eight  or  nine 
feet  high,  boarded  and  fraized,  on  which  colonel  Greene  after 
taking  command  of  the  place,  had  bestowed  a  good  deal  of 
labour.  Late  in  the  evening  of  the  22d,  count  Donop  ap- 
peared before  the  fort,  and  attacked  it  with  great  intrepidity. 
It  was  defended  with  equal  resolution.  The  outer  works  be- 
ing too  extensive  to  be  manned  by  the  force  under  colonel 
Greene,  which  did  not  exceed  five  hundred  men,  were  only 
used  to  gall  the  enemy  while  advancing,  and  on  their  near  ap- 


J8S  GREEISE. 

proach  were  abanfloned  by  the  garrison,  who  retired  within 
the  inner  intrench  nient,  from  whence  they  kept  up  against 
the  Hessians,  who  pressed  on  with  great  gallantry,  a  most 
heavy  and  destructive  lire.  Colonel  Donop,  while  leading  on 
his  troops,  received  a  mortal  wound,  and  lieutenant  colonel 
Mingerode,  the  second  in  command,  fell  about  the  same  time. 
Lieutenant  colonel  Linsing.  now  the  oldest  remaining  officer 
of  the  detachment,  drew  off  his  troops  ;  and.  being  favoured 
by  the  darkness  of  the  night,  collected  as  many  of  the  wound- 
ed as  could  be  brought  off.  He  marched  about  five  miles  that 
night,  and  returned  next  day  to  Philadelphia.  In  this  un- 
successful expedition,  according  to  the  best  information  which 
could  be  collected,  the  enemy  lost  about  four  hundred  men. 
The  garrison,  which  was  reinforced  from  fort  Mifflin,-  and 
aided  by  the  gallies  which  flanked  the  enemy,  both  advancing 
and  retreating,  having  fought  under  cover,  lost  only  thirty- 
two  men  killed  and  wounded.  It  would  appear  from  the 
statement  given  by  general  Howe  of  this  enterprise,  that  the 
inner  works  could  not  be  carried  without  scaling  ladders,  and 
that  colonel  Donop  had  not  been  furnished  with  them.  Had 
the  requisitions  of  the  commander  in  chief  been  complied  with, 
and  a  camp  been  formed  at  a  convenient  distance  by  the  Jer- 
sey militia,  so  as  to  have  fallen  upon  the  rear  of  the  assail- 
ants, it  is  probable  that  the  whole  corps  might  have  been  de- 
stroyed, 

"In  order  to  be  in  readiness  to  perform  the  part  assigned  to 
the  navy,  the  Augusta,  a  sixty-four  gun  ship,  with  four  other 
smaller  vessels,  passed  the  lower  line  of  chevaux-de-frize  op- 
posite to  Billingsport,  and  lay  above  them,  waiting  the  as- 
sault to  be  made  on  the  fort  from  the  land.  The  Hood  tide 
setting  in  about  the  time  the  attack  commenced,  they  slipped 
their  cables  and  moved  with  it  up  the  river.  The  obstruc- 
tions which  had  been  sunk  in  the  river  had  in  some  degree 
changed  its  channel,  so  that  the  Augusta  and  the  Merlin 
grounded  a  considerable  distance  below  the  second  line  of 
chevaux-de-frize :  and  a  strong  northerly  wind,  which  had 
prevented  the  Vigilant  from  coming  up  to  the  station  assign- 
ed her,  still  continuing,  so  checked  the  rising  of  the  tide, 
that  these  vessels  could  not  be  floated  by  the  subsequent  flood. 
Their  situation,  however,  was  not  discerned  that  evening. 
The  frigates  approached  the  fort  as  near  as  possible,  against 
which  they  kept  up  an  incessant  fire.  The  batteries  from  the. 
Pennsylvania  shore  also  were  opened  on  the  garrison,  but 
night  soon  put  an  end  to  the  cannonade.  Very  early  next 
morning,  it  was  recommenced,  in  the  hope  that  under  cover  of 
the  fire  from  the  vessels  and  from  the  batteries,  the  Augusta 
and  the  Merlin  might  be  got  off,    It  was  soon  discovered  that 


GREENE.  189 

they  were  on  ground,  and  four  fire  ships  were  sent  against 
them,  but  without  effect.  Meanwhile  a  very  warm  cannon- 
ade was  continued  on  both  sides,  in  the  course  of  which  the 
Augusta  took  fire,  and  it  was  found  impracticable  to  extin- 
guish the  flames.  In  this  state  of  tilings  it  became  necessary 
to  take  out  the  men,  and  to  withdraw  the  frigates,  to  prevent 
the  injury  they  might  sustain  when  she  should  blow  up.  This 
being  in  a  great  measure  effected,  and  the  Merlin,  which 
could  not  be  removed,  being  set  on  fire,  the  Augusta  blew  up, 
and  in  her  were  lost  a  few  of  the  crew,  among  whom  were  a 
lieutenant  Baldock,  and  the  chaplain,  and  gunner.  For  their 
continuance  in  the  vessel,  no  reason  has  been  assigned. 

"The  repulse  of  the  detachment  commanded  by  count  Do- 
nop,  inspired  congress  with  the  most  flattering  hopes  respect- 
ing the  permanent  defence  of  the  post  on  the  Delaware.  That 
body  expressed  its  high  sense  of  the  merits  of  colonel  Greene, 
who  had  commanded  in  fort  Mercer,  of  lieutenant  colonel 
Smith,  who  had  commanded  in  fort  Mifflin,  and  of  commodore 
Hazlcwood,  who  commanded  the  gallies:  and  to  each  of  these 
officers  an  elegant  sword  was  presented,  as  a  mark  of  the  esti- 
mation in  which  his  services  were  held  by  the  public." 

In  the  year  1786,  general  Knox,  then  secretary  of  war,  pre- 
sented Job  Greene,  Esq.  eldest  son  of  colonel  Greene,  with  the 
sword  directed  to  be  presented  by  a  resolve  of  congress,  ac- 
companied with  a  letter,  in  which  he  said,  "  The  repulse  and 
defeat  of  the  Germans,  at  the  fort  of  Red  Bank,  on  the  Dela- 
ware, is  justly  considered  as  one  of  the  most  brilliant  actions 
of  the  late  war.  The  glory  of  that  event  is  inseparably  at- 
tached to  the  memory  of  your  late  father  and  his  brave  gar- 
rison. The  manner  in  which  the  supreme  authority  of  the 
United  States  are  pleased  to  express  their  high  sense  of  his  mi- 
litary merit,  and  the  honourable  instrument  which  they  annex 
in  testimony  thereof,  must  be  peculiarly  precious  to  a  son  emu- 
lative of  his  father's  virtues." 

The  noble  manner  in  which  colonel  Greene  sustained  him- 
self against  superior  force  of  veteran  troops,  led  by  an  officer 
of  high  renown,  has  been  related,  as  also  the  well  earned  re- 
wards which  followed  his  memorable  defence.  Consummat- 
ing his  military  fame  by  his  achievements  on  that  proud  day, 
he  could  not  be  overlooked  by  his  discriminating  leader, 
when  great  occasions  called  for  great  exertions.  Greene 
was  accordingly  detached  with  his  regiment  with  the  troops 
placed  under  major  Sullivan,  for  the  purpose  of  breaking  up 
the  enemy's  post  on  Rhode  Island,  soon  after  the  arrival  of 
the  French  fleet  under  count  d'Estaing,  in  the  summer  of  1778, 
which  well  concerted  enterprise  was  marred  in  the  execution 
by  some  of  those  incidents  which  abound  in  war,  and  especi- 


190  GREENE. 

ally  when  the  enterprise,  complicated  and  entrusted  to  allied 
forces,  and  requiring  naval  co-operation.  Returning  to  head 
quarters,  colonel  Greene  continued  to  serve  under  the  com- 
mander in  chief,  whose  confidence  and  esteem  he  had  truly 
merited,  and  invariably  enjoyed. 

In  the  spring  of  1781,  when  general  Washington  began  to 
expert  the  promised  naval  aid  from  our  best  friend,  the  ill- 
fated  Louis  the  XVI,  he  occasionally  approached  the  enemy's 
lines  on  the  side  of  York  island.     In  one  of  these  movements, 
colonel  Greene,  with  a  suitable  force,  was  posted  on  the  Cro- 
ton  river,  in  advance  of  the  army.     On  the  other  side  of  this 
river  lay  a  corps  of  refugees,  (American  citizens  who  had  join- 
ed the  British  army)  under  the  command  of  colonel  Delancey. 
These  half  citizens,  half  soldiers,  were  notorious  for  rapine 
and  murder:  and  to  their  vindictive  conduct  may  be  justly  as- 
cribed most  of  the  cruelties  which  stained  the  progress  of  our 
war,  and  which  at  length  compelled  Washington  to  order  cap- 
tain Asgill,  of  the  British  army,  to  be  brought  to  head  quar- 
ters, for  the  purpose  of  retaliating,  by  his  execution,  the  mur- 
der of  captain  Huddy,  of  New  Jersey,  perpetrated  by  a  cap- 
tain Lippincott,  of  the  refugees.     The  commandant  of  these 
refugees,  (Delancey  was  not  present)  having  ascertained  the 
position  of  Greene's  corps,  which  the  colonel  had  cantoned  in 
adjacent  farm  houses,  probably  with  a  view  to  the  procure- 
ment of  subsistence,  took  the  resolution  to  strike  it.  This  was 
accordingly  done  by  a  nocturnal  move  on  the  13th  of  May. 
The  enemy  crossed  the  Croton  before  day  light  the  next  morn- 
ing, and  hastening  his  advance,  reached  our  station  with  the 
dawn  of  day,  unperceived.     Ashe  approached  the  farm  house 
in  which  the  lieutenant  colonel  was  quartered,  the  noise  of 
troops  marching  was  heard,  which  was  the  first  intimation  of 
the  fatal  design.     Greene  and  major  Flagg  immediately  pre- 
pared themselves  for  defence,  but  they  were  too  late,  so  expe- 
ditious was  the  progress  of  the  enemy.     Flagg  discharged  his 
pistols,  and  instantly  afterwards  fell  mortally  wounded;  when 
the  ruffians  (unworthy  the  appellation  of  soldiers)  burst  open 
the  door  of  Greene's  apartment.     Here  the  gallant  veteran 
singly  received  them  with  his  drawn  sword.     Several  fell  be- 
neath the  arm  accustomed  to  conquer,  till  at  length  overpow- 
ered by  numbers,  and  faint  from  the  loss  of  blood  streaming 
from  his  wounds,  barbarity  triumphed  over  valour.     "  His 
right  arm  was  almost  cut  off  in  two  places,  the  left  in  one,  a 
severe  cut  on  the  left  shoulder,  a  sword  thrust  through  the 
abdomen,  a  bayonet  in  the  right  side,  and  another  through  the 
abdomen,  several  sword  cuts  on  the  head,  and  many  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  body." 
Thus  cruelly  mangled,  fell  the  generous  conqueror  of  count 


GRAEFF— GURNEY.  191 

Donop,  whose  wounds,  as  well  as  those  of  his  unfortunate  as- 
sociates, had  heen  tenderly  dressed  as  soon  as  the  battle  ter- 
minated, and  whose  pains  and  sorrows  had  been  as  tenderly 
assuaged.  How  different  was  the  relentless  fury  here  dis- 
played! 

The  commander  in  chief  heard  with  unutterable  anguish 
and  deep  indignation,  the  tragical  fate  of  his  much  loved, 
highly  trusted,  and  faithful  friend  and  soldier,  in  which  feel- 
ing the  army  sincerely  participated.  On  the  subsequent  day 
the  corpse  was  brought  to  head  quarters,  and  his  funeral  was 
solemnized  with  military  honours,  every  tongue  announcing 
with  sadness  of  sorrow  the  magnitude  of  our  loss. 

Lieutenant  colonel  Greene  was  murdered  in  the  meridian 
of  life,  being  only  forty-four  years  old.  He  left  a  widow  with 
three  sons  and  four  daughters.  He  was  stout  and  strong  in 
stature,  about  five  feet  ten  inches  high,  with  a  broad  round 
chest,  his  aspect  manly,  and  demeanor  pleasing :  enjoying  al- 
ways a  high  state  of  health,  its  bloom  irradiated  a  counte- 
nance, which  significantly  expressed  the  fortitude  and  mild- 
ness invariably  displayed  throughout  his  life. 

GRAEFF,  George,  an  oflicer  in  the  revolutionary  army, 
in  the  year  1776,  marched  from  Lancaster,  Pennsylvania,  to 
aid  in  establishing  the  independence  of  his  country,  as  a  lieu- 
tenant; was  on  the  inarch  promoted  to  a  captain,  and,  as  such, 
commanded  a  company  at  the  battle  on  Long  Island.  He  died 
at  Lancaster,  on  the  13th  of  November,  1823,  in  the  sixty 
eighth  year  of  his  age.  Mr.  Graeff  sustained  through  a  long 
life,  the  character  of  an  honest  man,  and  received  many  proofs 
of  the  esteem  and  respect  of  his  fellow  citizens,  by  repeated 
appointments  to  stations  of  public  trust  and  confidence. 

GURNEY,  Francis,  was  born  in  Bucks  county,  in  the 
province  of  Pennsylvania,  about  the  year  1738.  He  received 
the  rudiments  of  an  English  education  in  a  country  school, 
near  the  place  where  he  was  born. 

Young  Gurney  was  inclined  by  nature  to  deeds  of  enter- 
prise, hardihood  and  valour.  He  manifested  from  his  early 
years  a  strong  predilection  fur  the  use  and  profession  of  arms. 
Nor  had  he  more  than  entered  on  the  threshold  of  life,  when 
he  was  presented  with  an  opportunity  of  gratifying  to  the  ut- 
most his  favourite  propensity.  When  he  arrived  at  his 
eighteenth  year,  he  found  the  embittered  war  of  1756,  inun- 
dating in  blood  the  northern  section  of  the  British  provinces. 
He  accordingly,  with  a  promptness  and  ardour  peculiar  to 
his  temperament,  volunteered  his  services  in  the  provincial 
army  to  aid  in  protecting  his  countrymen  from  the  French 
bayonet  and  the  Indian  tomahawk.  His  place  of  destination 
^as  the  frontiers  of  Canada,  a  region  famous  in  history  for 


102  GURNEY. 

its  sanguinary  wars,  and  the  hardships  to  which  troops  are 
exposed  when  on  service.  It  was  here  his  fortune  to  partici- 
pate in  many  of  the  dangers  and  exploits  of  the  celebrated 
Putnam,  and  other  officers  of  daring  intrepidity.  Bring 
young,  active,  and  emulous  of  distinction,  he  was  engaged  of 
choice  in  almost  every  spirited  and  gallant  enterprise  that 
was,  from  time  to  time,  undertaken  against  the  enemy.  IS  or 
did  he  ever  fail  to  act  the  part  of  a  brave,  determined  and 
high-minded  soldier.  Although  he  could  not  at  all  times  com- 
mand success,  his  prowess  and  conduct  uniformly  deserved  it. 
Among  other  important  services  in  which  he  was  engaged,  he 
hore  his  part  in  the  capture  of  Cape  Breton. 

But  it  was  not  alone  in  the  regions  of  the  north,  suffering 
from  cold,  and  menaced  by  the  hatchet  and  scalping  knife  of 
the  savage,  that  this  brave  young  Pennsylvania^  served  his 
country  in  the  character  of  a  soldier.  Determined  to  pursue 
glory  wherever  she  might  lead  the  way,  and,  if  possible,  to 
weave  for  himself  a  chaplet  from  the  laurels  of  different  cli- 
mates, he  embarked  on  board  the  British  fleet  destined  to  act 
against  the  French  West-India  islands.  Here,  neither  the 
burning  sun,  nor  the  sultry  and  relaxing  air  of  the  tropics, 
was  sufficient  to  subdue  his  spirit  or  unnerve  his  arm.  The 
same  energy  and  enterprise  which  he  had  previously  displayed 
at  the  taking  of  Cape  Breton,  and  elsewhere  on  the  continent, 
he  manifested  again  at  the  capture  of  Guadaloupe. 

The  war  being  closed,  his  inclination  led  him  to  return  to 
the  enjoyment  of  peaceful  and  domestic  scenes ;  for  he  felt 
now  no  disposition  to  follow  arms  as  a  profession  for  life.  He 
accordingly  settled  in  Philadelphia  in  the  capacity  of  a  mer- 
chant, where  he  pursued  his  business  with  industry  and  cor- 
rectness, reputation  and  success,  till  the  commencement  of 
our  revolutionary  war. 

Ranking  with  the  foremost  in  his  attachment  to  liberty,  and 
his  abhorrence  of  every  thing  that  might  tend  to  destroy  it,  he 
viewed  with  indignation  the  unhallowed  attempts  of  the  Bri- 
tish ministry  to  trample  on  the  rights  of  the  infant  colonies. 
He  was  not*  of  that  saturnine  disposition  which  waits  till  it 
feels  the  lash  of  oppression.  He  was  one  of  those  discern- 
ing, keen-sighted  patriots,  who,  in  the  language  of  an  eloquent 
statesman,  "  augur  misgovernment  at  a  distance:  and  snuff  the 
approach  of  tyranny  in  every  tainted  breeze."  No  less  prompt 
to  act  than  vigilant  to  discover,  he  was  among  the  first  to  raise 
his  voice  and  extend  his  arm  in  behalf  of  the  invaded  liberties 
of  his  country. 

In  the  year  1774  and  1775,  when  opposition  to  the  measures 
of  the  British  government  began  to  be  seriously  meditated  and 
organized,  his  public  services  in  Philadelphia  were  above  all 


GURNEY.  193 

price.  His  ardent  and  active  disposition  first  contributed  to 
rouse  to  resistance  many  of  his  less  sensitive  and  energetic 
compatriots;  and,  having  no  inconsiderable  knowledge  of  tac- 
tics and  arms,  he  was  highly  instrumental  in  the  formation 
and  diciplining  military  corps.  In  these  he  refused  at  first 
to  accept  of  a  commission,  believing  that  he  could  render  to 
his  country  higher  services,  by  continuing  to  act  as  a  general 
and  voluntary  instructor  of  the  duties  of  the  soldier.  His 
primary  wish  was  ;  and  in  this  he  manifested  that  soundness 
of  judgment  for  which  he  was  remarkable  ;  to  see  men  of  rank 
and  fortune  heartily  and  practically  engaged  in  the  cause. 
He  was  anxious  to  see  them  take  that  lead  which  their  stand- 
ing in  society,  no  less  than  their  heavy  stake  in  the  approach- 
ing contest,  so  fairly  entitled  them,  and  which  he  considered 
essential  to  the  success  of  our  measures.  To  this  end.  he  la- 
bored assiduously  and  with  the  happiest  effect.  Several  gen- 
tlemen, who  afterwards  acquired  a  name  in  arms,  among 
whom  may  be  mentioned,  Mifflin,  Cadwalader,  Meredith  and 
others,  were  in  no  small  degree  indebted  to  him  for  their  first 
appointment  to  military  rank.  When  they  became  known, 
they  were  afterwards,  on  that  ground,  appointed  to  higher  and 
more  conspicuous  stations. 

At  length,  on  the  25th  of  May,  1775,  Mr.  Gurney  was  pre- 
vailed oji  to  accept  the  commission  of  captain  of  infantry,  in 
a  regiment  of  troops  raised  by  authority  of  the  province  of 
Pennsylvania.  In  the  course  of  the  following  year  he  agreed 
to  enter  into  the  regular  service,  and  was  appointed  lieuten- 
ant-colonel in  the  eleventh  regiment  of  the  Pennsylvania  line. 
While  in  this  command  he  was  present  at  the  battles  of  Iron- 
hill,  Brandy  wine,  and  Germantown:  in  each  of  which  he  be- 
haved with  his  accustomed  bravery,  but  had  no  opportunity  of 
acquiring  distinction.  In  the  first  of  them  he  was  slightly 
wounded  in  the  foot. 

Soon  after  this  period,  some  irregularity  having  occurred 
on  the  score  of  promotion,  to  which  he  thought  it  dishonorable 
to  submit,  colonel  Gurney  resigned  his  commission  in  the  ar- 
my, and  returned  once  more  to  private  life.  Still,  however, 
was  his  country  benefitted  by  his  judgment  and  active  servi- 
ces, he  being  immediately  placed  on  the  committee  of  safety 
for  ihe  city  of  Philadelphia,  and  also  on  that  for  the  defence 
of  the  Delaware  river  and  bay.  The  vigilance  and  compe- 
tency which  he  manifested  under  these  appointments  were  im- 
portant in  their  effects,  and  placed  him  high  in  the  confidence 
of  his  fellow  citizens. 

On  the  conclusion  of  the  peace  of  1783,  he  resumed  his  mer- 
cantile pursuits  in  that  city,  and  continued  in  them  with  great 
industry  and  merited  success,  till  within  a  year  or  two  of  his 


194  GURNEY. 

death;  when,  owing  to  his  advanced  age  and  the  embarrass 
ments  of  the  times,  he  determined  to  abandon  them.  But  dur- 
ing this  important  period  of  his  life,  his  attention  was  far  from 
being  devoted  exclusively  to  his  private  concerns.  Few  inha- 
bitants of  Pennsylvania  took  a  more  active  part  in  the  man- 
agement of  the  affairs  of  the  city  and  the  commonwealth.  For 
nearly  thirty  years  he  was  constantly  employed  in  the  dis- 
charge of  some  public  function,  civil  or  military:  nor  was  he 
ever  found  otherwise  than  industrious,  competent,  and  faith- 
ful to  his  trust.  He  held,  for  several  years,  the  appointment 
of  warden  of  the  port  of  Philadelphia,  during  which  time  he 
suggested  and  had  carried  into  effect  an  important  improve- 
ment in  the  buoys  and  beacons  in  the  Delaware  bay.  That  es- 
tablishment is  much  indebted  to  him  for  its  present  state  of 
convenience  and  excellence.  We  state  on  authority  which 
we  believe  to  be  correct,  that  he  was  the  inventor  of  some- 
thing useful  in  the  construction  of  the  buoys  and  beacons  now 
in  use,  but  more  particularly  of  a  new  and  highly  improved 
mode  of  securing  them. 

He  was  for  a  while  one  of  the  aldermen  of  the  city,  and 
served  a  long  tour  in  the  city  councils,  chiefly  as  president  of 
the  select  council.  He  was  for  several  years  in  succession 
elected  a  member  of  the  legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  first  to 
the  house  of  representatives,  and  afterwards  to  the  senate.  In 
both  bodies  he  became  a  leading  character.  For  although  a 
man  of  great  humility  of  pretensions,  he  acquired,  by  prac- 
tice, a  habit  of  speaking  in  public  w  ith  facility  and  effect. 

He  was  also,  a  considerable  time  ago,  created  a  trustee  of 
Dickinson  college,  an  appointment  which  he  held  at  the  time 
of  his  death.  In  all  these  situations  he  sustained  the  reputa- 
tion of  a  man  of  integrity,  firmness,  and  sound  intelligence. 

Such  are,  in  part,  the  offices  and  employ  ments  of  a  civil  na- 
ture; in  which  it  was  the  good  fortune  of  Mr.  Gurney  to  ren- 
der services  to  his  fellow  citizens,  and  to  acquire  their 
esteem.  On  that  of  county-commissioner,  church-warden,  and 
trustee  or  director  of  various  institutions,  in  which  he  pro- 
moted the  interest  of  individuals  or  of  the  city,  we  forbear  to 
dwell.  He  was  also  among  the  most  active,  skilful,  and  inde- 
fatigable of  the  militia  officers  of  the  state.  He  wore  a  colo- 
nel's commission  from  the  first  of  May,  1786,  to  the  month  of 
March,  1799,  when  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  brigadier- 
general. 

The  only  active  military  service  in  which  Mr.  Gurney  was 
engaged  subsequently  to  the  close  of  the  revolutionary  war, 
occurred  in  the  year  1794,  when  a  considerable  force  was  called 
into  the  field,  to  suppress  an  insurrection  in  the  western 
part  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania.     The  troops  assembled  on 


GURNEY.  195 

that  occasion  from  Pennsylvania,  New  Jersey,  Maryland  and 
Virginia,  amounted  to  about  fifteen  thousand  rank  and  file. 
Mr.  Gurney,  in  the  capacity  of  colonel,  commanded  the  first 
regiment  of  the  Philadelphia  brigade,  which,  owing  to  his 
skill  and  attention,  was,  with  the  exception  of  M'Pherson's 
Blues,  a  body  composed  of  young  gentlemen  of  family  and 
education,  who  would  have  done  honour  to  any  service,  the 
best  disciplined  and  most  effective  corps  in  the  field. 

Colonel  Gurney's  command  amounted  on  this  occasion,  to 
about  six  hundred  men,  raw  in  service:  their  fatigues  and  ex- 
posures were  great,  and  the  weather  was  oftentimes  tempestu- 
ous and  inclement:  notwithstanding  this,  he  lost  from  sick- 
ness, we  believe,  but  two  men  during  a  campaign  of  three 
months  continuance.  This  fact  must  be  regarded  as  a  high 
eulogium  on  his  attention  to  the  accommodation  and  health  ol 
bis  troops. 

Feeliag  somewhat,  although  but  slightly  for  bis  age,  the  pres- 
sure of  years,  he  had  for  some  time  before  his  death,  declined 
all  participation  in  public  employments.  The  evening  of  his 
life  was  retired  and  tranquil,  rational  and  dignified;  such  as 
need  not  have  caused  a  blush  on  the  cheek  of  the  best-born 
citizen  of  Rome.  It  was  passed  in  social  intercourse,  amuse- 
ment from  books,  and  the  cultivation  of  a  favourite  country- 
seat  in  the  vicinity  of  Philadelphia. 

He  died  on  the  25th  of  May,  1815.  after  a  severe  and  pain- 
ful indisposition  of  one  month,  which,  particularly  towards 
the  close,  he  bore  with  fortitude  and  perfect  resignation. — 
There  exists  the  fairest  ground  of  belief,  that  his  last  mo- 
ments were  those  of  the  christian  in  communion  with  his 
God. 

General  Gurney  was,  in  his  personal  appearance,  particu- 
larly striking.  No  one  could  pass  him  in  the  street  as  a  com- 
mon man.  He  was  nearly  six  feet  high,  portly  and  well 
formed,  and  considering  his  age,  unusually  erect.  Although 
considerably  turned  of  threescore  and  ten,  he  had,  both  men- 
tally and  corporeally,  much  of  the  vigour  and  elasticity  of 
the  meridian  of  life.  The  frost  of  years  was  white  on  his 
temples,  but  its  rigours  had  not  penetrated  to  his  mind  or  his 
heart.  His  affections  were  still  warm,  his  memory  retentive, 
his  powers  of  intellect  active  arid  pliable,  and  his  spirits 
had  much  of  the  buoyancy  of  youth.  He  had  a  complexion 
unusually  florid,  an  aquiline  nose,  blue  eyes  capable  of  strong 
expression,  and  a  forehead  lofty  but  somewhat  retreating.  Al- 
though he  could  not  be  said  to  have  the  physiognomy  of  ge- 
nius, he  had  that  of  great  sensibility,  connected  with  judg- 
ment and  decision,  intrepidity  and  firmness:  and  these  were 
prominent  traits  in  his  character. 


mfj  GWINN— HALE. 

GWINN,  William,  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and  became 
a  resident  of  the  then  province  of  Pennsylvania,  in  the  yean 
1772.  In  the  year  177G,  he  joined  the  revolutionary  army, 
in  which  he  was  appointed  to  an  office  in  the  staff  department, 
under  the  command  of  general  Mifflin,  with  the  rank  of  major. 
At  the  rlose  of  the  war.  he  removed  into  Maryland  ;  and,  for 
the  last  thirty-five  years,  resided  on  his  farm.  Possessing  a 
strong  understanding,  correct  principles,  and  a  pure  and  be- 
nevolent heart,  the  deceased  was,  through  life,  an  agreeable 
acquaintance,  a  faithful  friend,  and  an  affectionate  husband. 
He  died  at  Monkton  Mills,  Baltimore  county,  on  the  1st  oi 
October,  1819.  in  the  70th  year  of  his  age. 

HALE,  Nathan",  a  celebrated  youthful  hero,  and  martyr 
of  the  revolutionary  war,  was  a  native  of  Coventry,  in  the 
state  of  Connecticut.  He  received  his  education  at  Yale  col- 
lege, where  he  graduated  in  1773.  The  ardent  glow  of  pa- 
triotic feeling,  and  the  deep  interest  which  he  took  in  the 
cause  of  his  injured  country,  induced  him,  at  an  early  period 
of  the  revolutionary  war,  to  offer  to  it  his  services;  and  hav- 
ing obtained  a  commission,  he  entered  the  army  in  the  capa- 
city of  captain  in  colonel  Knowlton's  regiment  of  light  in- 
fantry. 

The  following  narrative  exhibits  a  case  analogous  to  that  of 
major  Andre,  and  surely  while  Americans  regret  the  fate  of 
an  enemy,  the  heroic  sufferings  of  their  own  countrymen  should 
not  be  forgotten  or  unlamented. 

After  the  defeat  the  American  arms  sustained  from  the 
British  on  Long  Island,  August  27,  1776,  general  Washing- 
ton called  a  council  of  war,  who  determined  on  an  imme- 
diate retreat  to  New- York.  The  intention  was  prudently  con- 
cealed from  the  army,  who  knew  not  whither  they  were  going, 
but  imagined  it  was  to  attack  the  enemy.  The  field  artillery, 
tents,  baggage,  and  about  nine  thousand  men  were  conveyed 
to  the  city  of  New- York,  over  East  river,  more  than  a  mile, 
wide,  in  less  than  thirteen  hours,  and  without  the  knowledge 
of  the  British,  though  not  six  hundred  yards  distance.  Pro- 
vidence in  a  remarkable  manner  favoured  the  retreating  army. 
The  wind,  which  seemed  to  prevent  the  troops  getting  over  at 
the  appointed  hour,  afterwards  shifted  to  their  wishes;  to- 
wards morning  an  extreme  thick  fog  came  on,  which  hovered 
over  Long  Island,  and.  by  concealing  the  Americans,  enabled 
them  to  complete  their  retreat  without  interruption,  though 
the  day  had  begun  to  dawn  some  time  before  it  was  finished. 
In  about  half  an  hour  after  the  island  was  finally  abandoned, 
the  fog  cleared  off,  and  the  British  were  seen  taking  possession 
of  the  American  lines. 
Perhaps  the  fate  of  America  was  never  suspended  on  a  more 


HALE.  19r 

brittle  thread,  than  previously  to  this  memorable  retreat.  A 
spectacle  is  here  presented  of  an  army,  destined  for  the  de- 
fence of  a  great  continent,  driven  to  the  narrow  borders  of  an 
island,  with  a  victorious  army  of  double  its  number  in  front, 
with  navigable  waters  in  its  rear;  constantly  liable  to  have 
its  communication  cut  offby  the  enemy's  navy,  and  every  mo- 
ment exposed  to  an  attack.  The  presence  of  mind  which  ani- 
mated the  commander  in  chief  in  this  critical  situation,  the 
prudence  with  which  all  the  necessary  measures  were  execut- 
ed, redounded  as  much,  or  more,  to  his  honour  than  the  most 
brilliant  victories.  An  army,  to  which  America  looked  for 
safety,  preserved ;  a  general,  who  was  considered  as  an  host 
himself,  saved  for  the  future  necessity  of  his  country  !  Had, 
not,  however,  the  circumstances  of  the  night,  of  the  wind  and 
weather,  been  favourable,  the  plan,  however  well  concerted, 
must  have  been  defeated.  To  a  good  Providence,  therefore, 
are  the  people  of  America  indebted,  for  the  complete  success 
of  an  enterprise  so  important  in  its  consequences. 

This  retreat  left  the  British  in  complete  possession  of  Long 
Island.  What  could  be  their  future  operations  remained  un- 
certain. To  obtain  information  of  their  strength,  situation, 
and  future  movements,  was  of  high  importance.  For  this 
purpose,  general  Washington  applied  to  colonel  Knowlton, 
who  commanded  a  regiment  of  light  .infantry,  which  formed 
the  van  of  the  American  army,  and  desired  him  to  adopt  some 
mode  of  gaining  the  necessary  information.  Colonel  Knowl- 
ton communicated  this  request  to  captain  Nathan  Hale,  of 
Connecticut,  who  was  then  a  captain  in  his  regiment. 

This  young  officer,  animated  by  a  sense  of  duty,  and  con- 
sidering that  an  opportunity  presented  itself  by  which  he 
might  be  useful  to  his  country,  at  once  offered  himself  a  vol- 
unteer for  this  hazardous  service.  He  passed  in  disguise  to 
Long  Island,  examined  every  part  of  the  British  army,  and 
obtained  the  best  possible  information  respecting  their  situa= 
tion  and  future  operations. 

In  his  attempt  to  return  he  was  apprehended,  carried  be- 
fore sir  William  Howe,  and  the  proof  of  his  object  was  so 
clear,  that  he  frankly  acknowledged  who  he  was,  and  what 
were  his  views. 

Sir  William  Howe  at  once  gave  an  order  to  the  provost 
mash al  to  execute  him  the  next  morning. 

This  order  was  accordingly  executed  in  a  most  unfeeling 
manner,  and  by  as  great  a  savage  as  ever  disgraced  humanity. 
A  clergyman,  whose  attendance  he  desired  was  refused  him ; 
a  bible  for  a  few  moments  devotion  was  not  procured,  although 
he  requested  it.  Letters,  which,  on  the  morning  of  his  execu- 
tion, he  wrote  to  his  mother  and  other  friends,  were  destroy* 


198  HALE. 

ed :  and  this  very  extraordinary  reason  given  by  the  pro- 
vost  marshal,  "that  the  rebels  should  not  know  they  had  a  man 
in  their  army  who  could  die  with  so  much  firmness." 

Unknown  to  all  around  him,  without  a  single  friend  to  offer 
him  the  least  consolation,  thus  fell  as  amiable  and  as  worthy  a 
young  man  as  America  could  boast,  with  this,  as  his  dying 
observation :  that  "he  only  lamented  that  he  had  but  one  life 
to  lose  for  his  country." 

Although  the  manner  of  this  execution  will  ever  be  abhor- 
red by  every  friend  to  humanity  and  religion,  yet  there  can- 
not be  a  question  but  that  the  sentence  was  conformable  to  the 
rules  of  war  and  the  practice  of  nations  in  similar  cases. 

It  is,  however,  a  justice  due  to  the  character  of  captain  Hale 
to  observe,  that  his  motives  for  engaging  in  this  service  were 
entirely  different  from  those  which  generally  influence  others 
in  similar  circumstances. 

Neither  expectation  of  promotion,  nor  pecuniary  reward, 
induced  him  to  this  attempt.  A  sense  of  duty,  a  hope  that  he 
might  in  this  way  be  useful  to  his  country,  and  an  opinion 
which  he  had  adopted,  that  every  kind  of  service  necessary  to 
the  public  good  became  honourable  by  being  necessary  ;  were 
the  great  motives  which  induced  him  to  engage  in  an  enter- 
prise by  which  his  connexions  lost  a  most  amiable  friend, 
and  hisYountry  one  of  its  most  promising  supporters. 

The  fate  of  this  unfortunate  young  man  excites  the  most  in- 
teresting reflections. 

To  see  such  a  character,  in  the  flower  of  youth,  cheerfully 
treading  in  the  most  hazardous  paths,  influenced  by  the  pur- 
est intentions,  and  only  emulous  to  do  good  to  his  country, 
without  the  imputation  of  a  crime,  fall  a  victim  to  policy,  must 
have  been  wounding  to  the  feelings  even  of  his  enemies. 

Captain  Hale  possessed  a  fine  genius,  had  received  an  ex- 
ceilent  education,  and  disclosed  high  promise  of  future  talents 
and  usefulness.  He  was  open,  generous  and  brave,  and  en- 
thusiastic in  the  cause  of  liberty  and  his  country,  in  which  he 
had  engaged,  and  for  which  he  was  destined  to  die  an  early 
martyr.  The  fate  of  Hale,  it  will  be  observed,  was  in  almost 
every  respect,  strikingly  similar  to  that  of  major  Andre.  As 
it  respects  character,  qualifications  and  personal  interest, 
Hale  would  not  suffer  from  a  comparison  with  Andre.  Yet, 
strange  as  it  may  seem,  the  fate  of  Andre,  even  in  America, 
has  been  universally  lamented,  and  his  memory  universally 
respected ;  whilst  it  is  scarcely  known  that  there  was  ever 
such  a  man  as  Nathan  Hale.  Andre  has  had  a  monument 
erected  to  his  memory  by  his  country,  and  the  most  distin- 
guished honours  and  rewards  conferred  upon  his  family;  but 
what  has  our  country  done  for  the  memory  of  Hale?  No  stone.. 


HAMILTON.  199 

however  humble,  has  been  erected  to  it ;  no  memorial  has  res- 
cued it  from  oblivion;  and  no  inscription  has  preserved  his 
ashes  from  insult.  Such  is  the  influence  of  books,  and  the  evil 
tendency  of  importing  them,  that  while  Nathan  Hale,  an 
American,  an  ardent  revolutionary  patriot,  and  who  offered 
his  life  as  a  sacrifice  to  our  liberties,  is  wholly  unknown,  the 
life,  character,  and  fate  of  Andre,  are  familiar  with  almost 
every  individual,  however  humble  his  situation,  or  limited  his 
intelligence. 

Thus,  while  fond  virtue  wish'd  in  vain  to  save, 
Hale,  bright  and  generous,  found  a  hapless  grave, 
With  genius*  living  flame  his  bosom  glow'd, 
And  science  charmed  him  to  her  sweet  abode* 
In  worth's  fair  path  his  feet  had  ventured  far, 
The  pride  of  peace,  the  rising  grace  of  war. 
In  duty  firm,  in  danger  calm  as  ev'n, 
To  friends  unchanging,  and  sincere  to  heav'n. 
How  short  his  course,  the  prize,  how  early  won, 
While  weeping  friendship  mourns  her  fav'rite  gone. 

HAMILTON,  Alexander,  first  secretary  of  the  treasury 
of  the  United  States,  was  a  native  of  the  island  of  St.  Croix, 
and  was  born  in  1757.  His  father  was  the  younger  son  of  an 
English  family,  and  his  mother  was  an  American.  At  the 
age  of  sixteen,  he  accompanied  his  mother  to  New  York,  and 
entered  a  student  of  Columbia  college,  in  which  he  continued 
about  three  years.  While  a  member  of  this  institution,  the 
first  buddings  of  his  intellect  gave  presages  of  his  future  emi- 
nence. The  contest  with  Great  Britain  called  forth  the  first 
talents  on  each  side,  and  his  juvenile  pen  asserted  the  claims 
of  the  colonies  against  very  respectable  writers.  His  papers 
exhibited  such  evidence  of  intellect  and  wisdom,  that  they 
were  ascribed  to  Mr.  Jay,  and  when  the  truth  was  discover- 
ed, America  saw  with  astonishment,  a  lad  of  seventeen  in  the 
list  of  her  able  advocates. 

The  quarrel  having  ripened  into  open  conflict,  the  first 
sound  of  battle  awakened  the  martial  spirit  of  the  stripling. 
He  could  no  longer  repose  in  college  shades,  while  his  coun- 
try was  in  danger,  and  her  defenders  in  the  field.  He  accord- 
ingly, when  in  his  nineteenth  year,  entered  the  army  with  the 
rank  of  captain  of  artillery,  and,  in  that  capacity,  distin- 
guished himself  on  several  occasions. 

Having  by  his  amiable  temper  and  officer-like  conduct,  con- 
ciliated the  regard  and  affection  of  his  comrades,  it  was  not 
long  till,  by  his  higher  qualities,  he  attracted  the  notice  of  the 
commander  in  chief.  A  strong  and  peculiar  trait  in  the  cha- 
racter of  Washington  was  his  intuitive  discernment  of  talent 


:oo  HAMILTON. 

and  worth.  Never  was  this  faculty  exercised  hy  him  more 
happily  or  with  better  effect  than  in  his  selection  of  captain 
Hamilton  to  serve  as  his  aid-de-camp,  which  promoted  him  to 
the  rank  of  lieutenant  colonel.  This  event  took  place  in  the 
year  1777.  From  that  period  till  near  the  time  of  the  cap- 
ture of  lord  Cornwallis,  in  1781,  Washington  and  Hamilton 
were  inseparable  companions,  both  in  the  cabinet  and  the  field. 
Never  was  an  aid  more  perfectly  the  friend  and  confidant  of 
liis  commander,  nor  a  general  more  ably  subserved  by  an  aid. 
They  shared  together  the  dangers  and  hardships  of  that  try- 
ing period,  with  a  firmness  and  fortitude  that  were  never  sur- 
passed, and,  by  their  bravery  and  united  wisdom,  were  in- 
strumental, beyond  all  others,  in  conducting  the  arms  of  their 
country  to  victory  and  glory.  Hamilton  served  as  first  aid 
de-camp  to  the  commander  in  chief  in  the  battles  of  Brandy- 
Mine,  Germantown  and  Monmouth. 

His  sound  understanding,  comprehensive  views,  application 
and  promptitude,  soon  gained  the  entire  confidence  of  his  pat- 
ron. In  such  a  school  it  was  impossible  but  that  his  genius 
should  be  nourished.  By  intercourse  with  Washington,  by 
surveying  his  plans,  observing  his  consummate  prudence,  and 
by  a  minute  inspection  of  the  springs  of  national  operations,, 
he  became  fitted  for  command.  Throughout  the  campaign, 
which  terminated  in  the  capture  of  Cornwallis,  colonel  Ham- 
ilton commanded  a  battalion  of  light  infantry.  At  the  siege 
of  York  in  1781,  when  the  second  parallel  was  opened,  two 
redoubts,  which  flanked  it,  and  were  advanced  300  yards  in 
front  of  the  British  works,  very  much  annoved  the  men  in  the 
trenches.  It  was  resolved  to  possess  them,  and  to  prevent 
jealousies  the  attack  of  the  one  was  committed  to  the  Ameri- 
cans, and  of  the  other  to  the  French.  The  detachment  of  the 
Americans,  was  commanded  by  the  marquis  de  la  Fayette; 
and  colonel  Hamilton,  at  his  own  earnest  request,  led  the  ad- 
vanced corps,  consisting  of  two  battalions.  Towards  the 
close  of  the  day,  on  the  14th  of  October,  the  troops  rushed  to 
(he  charge  without  firing  a  single  gun.  The  works  were  as- 
saulted with  irrcsistable  impetuosity,  and  carried  with  but 
little  loss.  Eight  of  the  enemy  fell  in  the  action ;  but  not- 
withstanding the  irritation  lately  produced  by  the  infamous 
slaughter  in  fort  Griswold,  not  a  man  was  killed  who  ceased 
to  resist. 

At  the  conclusion  of  the  war,  colonel  Hamilton,  being  now- 
married,  and  having  a  family  depending  for  its  subsistence  on 
his  personal  exertions,  entered,  after  a  brief  course  of  study, 
on  the  profession  of  the  law.  Still  however,  notwithstanding 
the  calls  of  his  interest  to  'he  contrary,  he  was  unable  to  de- 
tach himself  from  public  affairs. 


HAMILTON.  201 

In  1782,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  congress  from  the  state 
of  New  York.  At  the  succeeding  session  the  proceedings  of 
that  body  assumed  a  character  novel,  striking,  and  unprece- 
dented in  vigour.  Hamilton  took  an  early  and  distinguished 
lead  in  all  the  most  important  measures  of  the  session.  He 
was  uniformly  a  member,  and  several  times  chairman  of  those 
committees,  to  which  was  confided  the  high  and  difficult  trust 
of  reporting  on  such  subjects  as  were  deemed  most  vitally  in- 
teresting to  the  nation.  The  reports  prepared  on  these  occa- 
sions, are  remarkable  for  that  eloquence,  energy,  and  lumi- 
nous wisdom  which  characterise  so  strongly  all  the  subse- 
quent productions  of  his  pen.  He  was  also  mover  of  several 
of  the  most  important  resolutions  to  which  the  session  gave 
rise. 

Having  ably  acquitted  himself  of  his  duty  to  his  country, 
colonel  Hamilton  returned  to  the  practice  of  the  law.  Nor 
was  it  long  till  he  was  foremost  in  professional  eminence — ■ 
But  he  felt  that  matters  of  a  public  nature  had  still  a  claim 
on  him  which  he  ought  not  to  resist. 

The  violence  which  was  meditated  against  the  property 
and  persons  of  all  who  remained  in  the.  city  during  the  war, 
called  forth  his  generous  exertions,  and,  by  the  aid  of  gover- 
nor Clinton,  the  faithless  and  revengeful  scheme  was  defeated.. 
In  a  few  years  a  more  important  affair  demanded  his  talents. 
After  witnessing  the  debility  of  the  confederation,  he  was 
fully  impressed  with  the  necessity  of  an  efficient  general  go- 
vernment,  and  he  was  appointed  in  1787,  a  member  of  the  fe- 
deral convention  of  New  York.  He  assisted  in  forming  the 
constitution  of  our  country.  It  did  not  indeed  completely 
meet  his  wishes.  He  was  afraid  that  it  did  not  contain  suffi- 
cient means  of  strength  for  its  own  preservation,  and  that,  in 
consequence,  we  should  share  the  fate  of  many  other  repub- 
lics, and  pass  through  anarchy  to  despotism.  He  was  in  fa- 
vour of  a  more  permanent  executive  and  senate.  He  wished 
for  a  strong  government,  which  would  not  be  shaken  by  the 
conflict  of  different  interests  through  an  extensive  territory, 
and  which  should  be  adequate  to  all  the  forms  of  national  exi- 
gency. 

By  his  pen.  in  the  papers  signed  Publius,  and  by  his  voice 
in  the  convention  of  New  York,  he  contributed  much  to  its 
ad6ption.  When  the  government  was  organized  in  1789, 
Washington  placed  him  at  the  head  of  the  treasury.  In  the 
new  demands,  which  were  now"  made  upon  his  talents,  the  re- 
sources of  his  mind  did  not  fail  him.  In  his  reports,  he  pro- 
posed plans  for  funding  the  debt  of  the  union,  and  for  assuming 
the  debts  of  the  respective  states;  for  establishing  a  bank  ami 
mint;  and  for  procuring  a  revenue.     He  wished  to  redeem 

26 


202  HAMILTON. 

the  reputation  of  his  country  by  satisfying  her  creditors;  and 
to  combine  with  the  government  such  a  monied  interest,  as 
Blight  facilitate  its  operations. 

lie  remained  but  a  short  time  afterwards  in  office.  As  his 
property  had  been  wasted  in  the  public  service,  the  care  of  a 
rising  family  made  it  his  duty  to  retire,  that  by  renewed  ex- 
ertions in  his  profession,  he  might  provide  for  their  support. 
He  accordingly  resigned  his  office  on  the  last  of  January, 
1795. 

When  the  provisional  army  was  raised  in  1798,  Washing- 
ton qualified  his  acceptance  of  the  command  of  it,  with  the 
Condition  that  Hamilton  should  be  his  associate  and  the  second 
in  command.     This  arrangement  was  accordingly  made. 

Invested  with  the  rank  of  inspector  general,  Hamilton  re- 
paired immediately  to  his  post,  and  commenced  the  organiza- 
tion and  discipline  of  his  army.  These  he  carried  in  a  short 
time  to  high  perfection,  the  materials  of  his  command  being 
excellent  in  quality.  His  hours  of  leisure  he  devoted,  with 
his  usual  industry,  to  the  study  of  chemistry,  mathematics, 
and  the  art  of  war.  In  the  two  latter  his  attainments  became 
great.  To  render  him  conspicuous  among  the  ablest  captains 
of  the  world,  nothing  was  now  wanting  but  experience  in  the 
field. 

After  the  adjustment  of  our  dispute  with  the  French  Repub- 
lic, and  the  discharge  of  the  army,  he  returned  again  to  his 
profession  in  the  city  of  New  York. 

In  Jane,  1804,  colonel  Burr,  vice-president  of  the  United 
States,  addressed  a  letter  to  general  Hamilton,  requiring  his 
acknowledgment  or  denial  of  the  use  of  any  expression  dero- 
gatory to  the  honour  of  the  former.  This  demand  was  deem- 
ed inadmissible,  and  a  duel  was  the  consequence.  After  the 
close  of  the  circuit  court,  the  parties  met  at  Hoboken,  on  the 
morning  of  Wednesday,  July  the  11th,  and  Hamilton  fell  on 
the  same  spot,  where  his  son  a  few  years  before  had  fallen,  in 
obedience  to  the  same  principle  of  honour,  and  in  the  same 
violation  of  the  laws  of  God,  and  of  man.  He  was  carried 
into  the  city,  and  being  desirous  of  receiving  the  sacrament 
of  the  Lord's  supper,  he  immediately  sent  for  the  reverend 
Dr.  Mason.  As  the  principles  of  his  church  prohibited  him 
from  administering  the  ordinance  in  private,  this  minister  of 
the  gospel  informed  general  Hamilton,  that  the  sacrament  was 
an  exhibition  and  pledge  of  the  mercies,  which  the  Son  of 
God  has  purchased,  and  that  the  absence  of  the  sign  did  not 
exclude  from  the  mercies  signified,  which  were  accessible  to 
him  by  faith  in  their  gracious  Author.  He  replied,  "lam 
aware  of  that.  It  is  only  a  sign  that  I  wanted  it."  In  the 
conversation  which  ensued,  he  disavowed  all  intention  of  tak- 


HAMILTON.  203 

ing  the  life  of  colonel  Burr,  and  declared  his  abhorrence  of 
the  whole  transaction.  When  the  sin,  of  which  he  had  heen 
guilty,  was  intimated  to  him,  he  assented  with  strong  emotion; 
and  when  the  infinite  merit  of  the  Redeemer,  as  the  propitia- 
tion for  sin,  the  solo  ground  of  our  acceptance  with  God,  was 
suggested,  he  said  with  emphasis,  "  /  have  a  tender  reliance 
on  the  mercy  of  the  Almighty,  th rough  the  merits  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ."  The  reverend  bishop  Moore  was  afterwards 
sent  for,  and  after  making  suitable  inquiries  of  the  penitence 
and  faith  of  general  Hamilton,  and  receiving  his  assurance 
that  he  would  never  again,  if  restored  to  health,  be  engaged  in 
a  similar  transaction,  but  would  employ  all  his  influence  in 
society  to  discountenance  the  barbarous  custom,  administered 
to  him  the  communion.  After  this,  his  mind  was  composed. 
He  expired  about  two  o'clock  on  Thursday,  July  12,  1804, 
aged  about  forty-seven  years. 

Throughout  the  United  States  his  premature  fall  excited 
emotions  of  sorrow  that  were  inferior  only  to  those  that  had 
resulted  from  the  death  of  Washington.  For  a  time,  politi- 
cal distinctions  wTere  swallowed  up  in  his  loss;  and,  with  a 
magnanimity  in  a  high  degree  honourable  to  them,  those  who 
had  been  hitherto  opposed  to  him  in  public  measures,  united 
with  his  friends  in  doing  homage  to  his  memory,  and  lament- 
ing his  death  as  a  national  calamity. 

Such  honours  Ilium  to  her  Hero  paid, 

Jlnd  peaceful  slept  the  mighty  Hector's  shade. 

General  Hamilton  possessed  very  uncommon  powers  of 
mind.  To  whatever  subject  he  directed  his  attention,  he  was 
able  to  grasp  it ;  and  in  whatever  he  engaged,  in  that  he  ex- 
celled. So  stupendous  wTere  his  talents,  and  so  patient  was 
his  industry,  that  no  investigation  presented  difficulties  which 
he  could  not  conquer.  In  the  class  of  men  of  intellect,  he  held 
the  first  rank.  His  eloquence  was  of  the  most  interesting 
kind,  and  when  new  exertions  were  required,  he  rose  in  new 
strength,  and  touching  at  his  pleasure  every  string  of  pity  or 
of  terror,  of  indignation  or  grief,  he  bent  the  passions  of 
others  to  his  purpose.  At  the  bar  he  gained  the  first  emi- 
nence. 

Although  in  person  below  the  middle  stature,  and  some- 
what deficient  in  elegance  of  figure,  general  Hamilton  pos- 
sessed a  very  striking  and  manly  appearance.  By  the  most 
superficial  observer  he  could  never  be  regarded  as  a  common 
individual.  His  head,  which  was  large,  was  formed  on  the 
finest  model,  resembling  somewhat  the  Grecian  antique.  His 
forehead  was  spacious  and  elevated,  his  nose  projecting,  but 
inclining  to  the  aquiline,  his  eyes  grey,  keen  at  all  limes,  and, 


204  HAMILTON. 

when  animated  by  debate,  intolerably  piercing,  and  his  mouth 
and  chin  well  proportioned  and  handsome.  These  two  latter,  al- 
though not  his  strongest,  were  his  most  pleasing  features:  yet 
the  form  of  his  mouth  was  expressive  of  eloquence:  more  es- 
pecially of  persuasion.  He  was  remarkable  for  a  deep  de- 
pression between  his  nose  and  forehead,  and  a  contraction  of 
his  brows,  which  gave  to  the  upper  part  of  his  countenance  an 
air  of  sternness.  The  lower  part  was  the  emblem  of  mildness 
and  benignity. 

In  his  dress  he  was  plain,  in  his  disposition  social,  in  his 
manners  easy  and  affable,  in  his  affections  warm,  in  his  friend* 
ships  steady,  in  his  feelings  ardent,  and  in  his  general  de- 
portment a  well  bred  gentleman. 

The  versatility  of  his  powers  was  as  wonderful  as  their 
strength.  To  the  transactions  of  all  matters  that  were  ever 
submitted  to  him,  he  showed  himself  competent ;  on  every 
point  of  difficulty  and  moment,  he  was  qualified  to  become 
great.  What  others  learnt  by  experience,  he  saw  by  intui- 
tion ;  what  they  achieved  by  persevering  labour,  he  could  ac- 
complish by  a  single  exertion.  Hence  the  diversified  emi- 
nence of  his  attainments,  and  the  surprising  rapidity  with 
which  he  rendered  himself  master,  not  only  of  new  and  intri- 
cate points,  but  even  of  entire  branches  of  science. 

Within  the  sphere  of  our  own  knowledge,  or  in  the  records 
of  society,  it  is  usual  to  find  individuals  who  are  highly  dis- 
tinguished in  particular  walks  :  in  the  forum,  the  senate,  the 
cabinet,  or  the  field  ;  but  a  single  character  pre-eminent  in 
them  all,  constitutes  a  prodigy  of  human  greatness.  Yet  such 
a  character  was  the  personage  we  are  considering.  He  com- 
bined within  himself  qualities  that  would  have  communicated 
lustre  to  many.  At  the  bar,  his  ability  and  eloquence  were 
at  once  the  delight  and  astonishment  of  his  country  ;  as  a 
statesman,  his  powers  were  transcendant  and  his  resources  in- 
exhaustible ;  as  a  financier,  he  was  acknowledged  to  be  with- 
out a  rival ;  in  his  talents  for  war,  he  was  believed  to  be  infe- 
rior to  Washington  alone.  To  these  we  may  add,  that  in  his 
qualifications  as  a  writer  he  was  eminently  great  Endow- 
ments so  brilliant,  with  attainments  so  wide,  multifarious  and 
lofty,  have  hut  rarely  fallen  to  the  portion  of  a  mortal. 

Yet  with  these  he  had  none  of  the  eccentricities,  irregulari- 
ties, or  vices,  that  oftentimes  follow  in  the  train  of  greatness. 
His  mind  and  his  habits  were  in  a  high  degree  orderly,  tempe- 
rate and  methodical.  To  his  powers  alone,  stupendous  as  they 
were,  he  never  committed  the  performance  of  his  duty,  on  any 
occasion  of  interest  and  importance.  Preparatory  to  acting, 
he  bestowed  on  his  subject  all  the  attention  that  would  have 
been  requisite  in  a  man  of  common  abilities.     He  studied  it 


HANCOCK.  205 

patiently  till  he  thoroughly  comprehended  it.  Hence,  even 
in  the  minutest  details,  he  was  never  found  deficient  when  he 
was  expected  to  be  prepared.  To  his  moral  habits,  there- 
tore,  no  less  than  to  his  physical  powers,  he  owed  it,  in  part, 
that  he  was  consummately  great. 

With  all  his  pre-eminence  of  talents,  and  amiable  as  he  was 
in  private  life,  general  Hamilton  is  yet  a  melancholy  proof  of 
the  influence,  which  intercourse  with  a  depraved  world  has  in 
perverting  the  judgment.  In  principle  he  was  opposed  to 
duelling,  his  conscience  was  not  hardened,  and  he  was  not  in- 
different to  the  happiness  of  his  wife  and  children:  but  no  con- 
sideration was  strong  enough  to  prevent  him  from  exposing 
his  life  in  single  combat.  His  own  views  of  usefulness  were 
followed  in  contrariety  to  the  injuctions  of  his  Maker  and 
Judge.  He  had  been  for  some  time  convinced  of  the  truth  of 
Christianity,  and  it  was  his  intention,  if  his  life  had  been 
spared,  to  have  written  a  work  upon  its  evidences. 

General  Hamilton  possessed  many  friends,  and  he  was  en- 
deared to  them,  for  he  was  gentle,  tender  and  benevolent. — . 
While  he  was  great  in  the  eyes  of  the  world,  familiarity  with 
him  only  increased  the  regard  in  which  he  was  held.  He 
married  a  daughter  of  general  Schuyler,  and  left  an  afflicted 
widow  and  a  number  of  children  to  mourn  his  loss. 

"  Such  was  Hamilton ;  the  soldier  of  the  revolution ;  the 
confidant  of  Washington;  the  founder  of  the  American  system, 
of  finance;  the  enlightened  statesman;  the  great  counsellor; 
the  eloquent  orator;  and  the  man  of  probity,  tried  and  spotless. 
He  retired  poor  from  an  office,  which,  without  peculation  or 
any  act  that  would  have  amounted  to  a  breach  of  public  trust, 
might  have  rendered  him  as  distinguished  for  wealth,  as  be 
was  for  the  higher  riches  of  his  mind.  His  faults:  for  being 
human  he  had  faults;  are  lost  amidst  his  virtues,  excused  or 
forgotten." 

HANCOCK,  Johx,  a  distinguished  patriot  and  friend  of 
his  country,  was  born  in  the  year  1737,  in  the  province  of 
Massachusetts.  The  habitation  of  his  father,  which  is  repre- 
sented as  the  precise  place  of  his  nativity,  was  situated  near 
the  village  of  Quincey,  and  by  the  ordinary  transitions  of  pro- 
perty in  America,  is  nowr  annexed  to  the  patrimony  of  John 
Adams,  former  president  of  the  United  States.  In  this  neigh- 
borhood were  born  and  died,  for  many  generations,  the  ances- 
tors of  the  illustrious  Samuel  Adams.  Mr.  Hancock  gradua- 
ted at  Harvard  college,  in  1754.  On  the  death  of  his  uncle, 
Thomas  Hancock,  Esquire,  he  received  a  very  considerable 
fortune,  and  soon  became  an  eminent  merchant.  He  was,  for 
several  years,  selectman  of  the  town :  and  in  1766,  he  was 
chosen  a  member  of  the  house  of  representatives  for  Boston. 


206  HANCOCK. 

He  there  blazed  a  whig  of  the  first  magnitude.  Otis,  dish- 
ing, and  Samuel  Adams,  were  the  other  three,  who  represent- 
ed the  capital,  men  of  name  in  the  revolution  of  their  country. 
Being  fond  of  public  notice,  he  was  flattered  by  the  approba- 
tion of  the  people,  with  their  marks  of  confidence,  and  the  dis* 
tinction  he  had  in  the  general  court.  The  political  sagacity 
of  Adams,  the  public  spirit  and  patriotic  zeal  of  Hancock, 
gave  a  lustre  to  the  Boston  seat.  Of  these  two  popular  lead- 
ers, the  manners  and  appearance  were  in  direct  opposition, 
notwithstanding  the  conformity  of  their  political  principles, 
and  their  equal  devotion  to  the  liberties  and  independence  of 
their  country  ;  and  this  dissimilarity  tended,  no  doubt,  to  ag- 
gravate the  passions  and  animosities  of  their  adherents.  Mr. 
Adams  was  poor,  and  in  his  dress  and  manners,  simple  and 
unadorned.  Hancock,  on  the  other  hand,  was  numbered  with 
the  richest  individuals  of  his  country.  His  equipage  was 
splendid  and  magnificent:  and  such  as  at  present  is  unknown 
in  America.  His  apparel  was  sumptuously  embroidered  with 
gold  and  silver  lace,  and  all  the  other  decorations  fash- 
ionable amongst  men  of  fortune  of  that  day:  he  rode,  especi- 
ally upon  public  occasions,  with  six  beautiful  bays,  and  with 
servants  in  livery.  He  was  graceful  and  prepossessing  in 
manners,  and  very  passionately  addicted  to  what  are  called 
the  elegant  pleasures  of  life;  to  dancing,  music,  concerts, 
routs,  assemblies,  card  parties,  rich  wines,  social  dinners  and 
festivities;  ail  which  the  stern  republican  virtues  of  Mr, 
Adams  regarded  with  indifference,  if  not  with  contempt. 

On  the  evening  of  the  5th  of  March,  1770,  a  small  party  of 
the  British  soldiers  paraded,  and  being  assailed  by  a  tumul- 
tory  assemblage  of  the  people,  with  balls  of  snow  and  other 
weapons,  fired  upon  them  by  the  order  of  the  officer,  to  dis- 
perse them.  Upon  which  occasion,  several  of  the  crowd  were 
wounded,  and  a  few  were  killed.  This  affray  is  usually  term- 
ed "  the  massacre  of  Boston. " 

It  was  in  commemoration  of  this  event,  Mr.  Hancock  de- 
livered an  oration,  in  1774,  from  which  we  extract  the  fol- 
lowing: 

"I  have  always,  from  my  earliest  youth,  rejoiced  in  the  fe- 
licity of  my  fellow-men,  and  have  ever  considered  it  as  the 
indispensable  duty  of  every  member  of  society  to  promote,  as 
far  as  in  him  lies,  the  prosperity  of  every  individual,  but 
more  especially  of  the  community  to  which  he  belongs  ;  and 
also,  as  a  faithful  subject  of  the  state,  to  use  his  utmost  en- 
deavours to  detect,  and  having  detected,  strenuously  to  oppose 
every  traitorous  plot  which  its  enemies  may  devise  for  its  de- 
struction. Security  to  the  persons  and  properties  of  the  go- 
verned, is  so  obviously  the  design  and  end  of  civil  govern- 


HANCOCK.  207 

fljent,  that  to  attempt  a  logical  proof  of  it,  would  be  like  burn- 
ing tapers  at  noon  day,  to  assist  the  sun  in  enlightening  the 
world;  and  it  cannot  be  virtuous  or  honourable,  to  attempt  to 
support  a  government,  of  which  this  is  not  the  great  and  prin- 
cipal basis;  and  it  is  to  the  last  degree  vicious  and  infamous 
to  attempt  to  support  a  government,  which  manifestly  tends  to 
render  the  persons  and  properties  of  the  governed  insecure, 
Some  boast  of  being  friends  to  government ;  I  am  a  friend  to 
righteous  government,  to  a  government  founded  upon  the  prin- 
ciples of  reason  and  justice;  but  I  glory  in  publicly  avowing 
my  eternal  enmity  to  tyranny.  Is  the  present  system,  which 
the  British  administration  have  adopted  for  the  government 
of  the  colonies,  a  righteous  government?  or  is  it  tyranny? — 
Here  suffer  me  to  ask  (and  would  to  Heaven  there  could  be  an 
answer)  what  tenderness,  what  regard,  respect  or  considera- 
tion, has  great  Britain  shewn,  in  their  late  transactions,  for 
the  security  of  the  persons  or  properties  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  colonies?  or  rather,  what  have  they  omitted  doing  to  de- 
stroy that  security?  They  have  declared  that  they  have  ever 
had,  and  of  right  ought  ever  to  have,  full  powej'  to  make  laws 
■of  sufficient  validity,  to  bind  the  colonies  in  all  cases  what- 
ever: they  have  exercised  this  pretended  right  by  imposing  a 
tax  upon  us  without  our  consent;  and  lest  we  should  shew 
some  reluctance  at  parting  with  our  property,  her  fleets  and 
armies  are  sent  to  enforce  their  mad  pretensions.  The  town 
of  Boston,  ever  faithful  to  the  British  crown,  has  been  invested 
by  a  British  fleet:  the  troops  of  George  the  III.  have  crossed 
the  wide  Atlantic,  not  to  engage  an  enemy,  but  to  assist  a 
band  of  traitors  in  trampling  on  the  rights  and  liberties  of 
his  most  loyal  subjects  in  America;  those  rights  and  liberties 
which,  as  a  father,  he  ought  ever  to  regard,  and  as  a  king,  he 
is  bound,  in  honour,  to  defend  from  violations,  even  at  the  risk 
of  his  own  life. 

"But  I  forbear,  and  come  reluctantly  to  the  transactions  of 
that  dismal  night,  when  in  such  quick  succession  we  felt  the 
extremes  of  grief,  astonishment  and  rage ;  when  Heaven,  in 
anger,  for  a  dreadful  moment,  suffered  hell  to  take  the  reins; 
when  satan,  with  his  chosen  band,  opened  the  sluices  of  New 
England's  blood,  and  sacrilegiously  polluted  our  land  with  the 
dead  bodies  of  her  guiltless  sons.  Let  this  sad  tale  of  death 
never  be  told  without  a  tear  :  let  not  the  heaving  bosom  cease 
to  burn  with  manly  indignation  at  the  barbarous  story,  through, 
the  long  tracts  of  future  time  :  let  every  parent  tell  the  shame- 
ful story  to  his  listening  children,  till  tears  of  pity  glisten  in 
their  eyes,  and  boiling  passions  shake  their  tender  frames; 
and  whilst  the  anniversary  of  that  ill-fated  night  is  kept  a  ju- 
bilee in  the  grim  court  of  pandemonium,  let  all  America  join 


SOS  HANCOCK. 

in  one  common  prayer  to  Heaven,  that  the  inhuman,  nnpro* 
yoked  murders  of  the  fifth  of  March,  1770,  planned  by  Hills- 
borough, and  a  knot  of  treacherous  knaves  in  Boston,  and  ex- 
ecuted  by  the  cruel  hand  of  Preston  and  his  sanguinary  coad- 
jutors, may  ever  stand  on  history  without  a  parallel.  But 
what,  my  countrymen,  withheld  the  ready  arm  of  vengeance 
from  executing  instant  justice  on  the  vile  assassins  ?  Perhaps 
you  feared  promiscuous  carnage  might  ensue,  and  that  the  in- 
nocent might  share  the  fate  of  those  who  had  performed  the 
infernal  deed.  But  were  not  all  guilty  ?  Were  you  not  too 
tender  of  the  lives  of  those  who  came  to  fix  a  yoke  on  your 
necks  ?  But  I  must  not  too  severely  blame  a  fault,  which  great 
souls  only  can  commit.  May  the  magnificence  of  spirit  which 
scorns  the  low  pursuits  of  malice,  may  that  generous  compas- 
sion which  often  preserves  from  ruin,  even  a  guilty  villain, 
forever  actuate  the  noble  bosoms  of  Americans  !  But  let  not 
the  miscreant  host  vainly  imagine  that  we  feared  their  arms, 
No ;  them  we  despised ;  we  dread  nothing  but  slavery.  Death 
is  the  creature  of  a  poltroon's  brains  ;  'tis  immortality  to  sa- 
crifice ourselves  for  the  salvation  of  our  country.  We  fear 
not  death.  That  gloomy  night,  the  pale  faced  moon,  and  the. 
affrighted  stars  that  hurries  through  the  sky,  can  witness  that 
we  fear  not  death.  Our  hearts,  which,  at  the  recollection, 
glow  with  rage  that  four  revolving  years  have  scarcely  taught 
us  to  restrain,  can  witness  that  we  fear  not  death ;  and  happy 
it  is  for  those  who  dared  to  insult  us,  that  their  naked  bones 
are  not  now  piled  up  an  everlasting  monument  of  Massachus- 
etts' bravery.  But  they  retired,  they  fled,  and  in  that  flight 
ihey  found  their  only  safety.  We  then  expected  that  the  hand 
of  public  justice  would  soon  inflict  that  punishment  upon  the 
murderers,  which,  by  the  laws  of  God  and  man,  they  had  in- 
curred. 

"  Patriotism  is  ever  united  with  humanity  and  compassion. 
This  noble  affection  which  impels  us  to  sacrifice  every  thing 
dear,  even  life  itself,  to  our  country,  involves  in  it  a  common 
sympathy  and  tenderness  for  every  citizen,  and  must  ever  have 
a  particular  feeling  for  one  who  suffers  in  a  public  cause.-— 
Thoroughly  persuaded  of  this,  I  need  not  add  a  word  to  en- 
gage your  compassion  and  bounty  towards  a  fellow-citizen, 
who  with  long  protracted  anguish,  falls  a  victim  to  the  relent^ 
less  rage  of  our  common  enemies. 

"  Ye  dark  designing  knaves,  ye  murderers,  parasides!  how 
dare  you  tread  upon  the  earth,  which  has  drank  in  the  blood 
of  slaughtered  innocents,  shed  by  your  wicked  hands?  How 
dare  you  breathe  that  air  which  wafted  to  the  ear  of  heaven, 
the  groans  of  those  who  fell  a  sacrifice  to  your  accursed  am- 
bition? but  if  the  labouring  earth  doth  not  expand  her  jaws; 


HANCOCK.  209 

if  the  air  you  breathe  is  not  commissioned  to  be  the  minister 
of  death  ;  yet,  hear  it,  and  tremble!  the  eye  of  Heaven  pene- 
trates the  darkest  chambers  of  the  soul,  traces  the  leading  cine 
through  all  the  labyrinths  which  your  industrious  folly  has 
devised;  and  you,  however  you  may  have  screened  yourselves 
from  human  eyes,  must  be  arraigned,  must  lift  your  hands, 
red  with  the  blood  of  those  whose  death  you  have  procured,  at 
the  tremendous  bar  of  God. 

"But  I  gladly  quit  the  gloomy  theme  of  death,  and  leave 
you  to  improve  the  thought  of  that  important  day,  when  our 
naked  souls  must  stand  before  that  being,  from  whom  nothing 
can  be  hid.  I  would  not  dwell  too  long  upon  the  horrid  effects 
which  have  already  followed  from  quartering  regular  troops 
in  this  town:  let  our  misfortunes  teach  posterity  to  guard 
against  such  evils  for  the  future. 

"Let  us  be  ready  to  take  the  field  whenever  danger  calls; 
let  us  be  united  and  strengthen  the  hands  of  each  other,  by 
promoting  a  general  union  among  us.  Much  has  been  done 
by  the  committees  of  correspondence,  for  the  houses  of  assem- 
bly, in  this  and  our  sister  colonies,  for  uniting  the  inhabitants 
of  the  whole  continent.  May  success  ever  attend  their  gen- 
erous endeavors.  But  permit  me  here  to  suggest  a  general 
congress  of  deputies,  from  the  several  houses  of  assembly,  on 
the  continent,  as  the  most  effectual  method  of  establishing  such 
an  union,  as  the  present  posture  of  our  affairs  require.  At  such 
a  congress  a  firm  foundation  may  be  laid  for  the  security  of  our 
rights  and  liberties;  a  system  may  be  formed  for  our  common 
safety,  by  a  strict  adherence  to  which,  we  shall  be  able  to 
frustrate  any  attempts  to  overthrow  our  constitution;  restore 
peace  and  harmony  to  America,  and  secure  honor  and  wealth 
to  Great  Britain,  even  against  the  inclinations  of  her  minis- 
ters, whose  duty  it  is  to  study  her  welfare;  and  we  shall  also 
free  ourselves  from  those  unmannerly  pillagers  who  impudent- 
ly tell  us,  that  they  are  licensed  by  an  act  of  the  British  par- 
liament, to  thrust  their  dirty  hands  into  the  pockets  of  every 
American.  But,  I  trust,  the  happy  time  will  come,  when, 
with  the  besom  of  destruction,  those  noxious  vermin  will  be 
swept  forever  from  the  streets  of  Boston. 

"Surely  you  never  will  tamely  suffer  this  country  to  be  a 
den  of  thieves.  Remember,  my  friends,  from  whom  you 
sprang.  Let  not  a  meanness  of  spirit,  unknown  to  those  whom 
you  boast  of  as  your  fathers,  excite  a  thought  to  the  dishonor 
of  your  mothers.  I  conjure  you  by  all  that  is  dear,  by  all  that 
is  honorable,  by  all  that  is  sacred,  not  only  that  ye  pray,  but 
that  you  act;  that,  if  necessary,  ye  fight,  and  even  die,  for  the 
prosperity  of  our  Jerusalem.  Break  in  sunder,  with  noble 
disdain,  the  bonds  with  which  the  Philistines  have  bound  you. 

9,7 


210  HANCOCK. 

Suffer  not  yourselves  to  be  betrayed  by  the  soft  arts  of  luxury 
and  effeminacy,  into  the  pit  digged  for  your  destruction.  Des- 
pise the  glare  of  wealth.  That  people  who  pay  greater  re- 
spect to  a  wealthy  villain,  than  to  an  honest  upright  man  in 
poverty,  almost  deserve  to  be  enslaved;  they  plainly  shew  that 
wealth,  however  it  may  be  acquired,  is,  in  their  esteem,  to  be 
preferred  to  virtue. 

"But,  I  thank  God,  that  America  abounds  in  men  who  are 
superior  to  all  temptation,  whom  nothing  can  divert  from  a 
steady  pursuit  of  the  interest  of  their  country  ;  who  are  at 
once  its  ornament  and  safe-guard.  And  sure  I  am,  I  should 
not  incur  your  displeasure,  if  I  paid  a  respect  so  justly  due 
to  their  much  honoured  characters  in  this  place;  but,  when  I 
name  an  Adams,  such  a  numerous  host  of  fellow  patriots  rush 
upon  my  mind,  that  I  fear  it  would  take  up  too  much  of  your 
time,  should  I  attempt  to  call  over  the  illustrious  roll :  but 
your  grateful  hearts  will  point  you  to  the  men;  and  their  re- 
vered names,  in  all  succeeding  times,  shall  grace  the  annals 
of  America.  From  them,  let  us,  my  friends,  take  example ; 
from  them,  let  us  catch  the  divine  enthusiasm;  and  feel,  each 
for  himself,  the  god-like  pleasure  of  diffusing  happiness  on  all 
around  us;  of  delivering  the  oppressed  from  the  iron  grasp  of 
tyranny;  of  changing  the  hoarse  complaints  and  bitter  moans 
of  w  retched  slaves,  into  those  cheerful  songs,  which  freedom 
and  contentment  must  inspire.  There  is  a  heart-felt  satisfac- 
tion in  reflecting  on  our  exertions  for  the  public  weal,  which 
all  the  sufferings  an  enraged  tyrant  can  inflict,  will  never  take 
away;  which  the  ingratitude  and  reproaches  of  those  whom 
we  have  saved  from  ruin,  cannot  rob  us  of.  The  virtuous  as- 
serter  of  the  rights  of  mankind,  merits  a  reward,  which  even 
a  want  of  success  in  his  endeavours  to  save  his  country,  the 
heaviest  misfortune  which  can  befal  a  genuine  patriot,  cannot 
entirely  prevent  him  from  receiving. 

"I  have  the  most  animating  confidence  that  the  present 
noble  struggle  for  liberty,  will  terminate  gloriously  for  Ame- 
rica. And  let  us  play  the  man  for  our  God,  and  for  the  cities 
of  our  God;  while  we  are  using  the  means  in  our  power,  let 
us  humbly  commit  our  righteous  cause  to  the  great  Lord  of 
the  universe,  who  loveth  righteousness  and  hateth  iniquity — 
And  having  secured  the  approbation  of  our  hearts,  by  a  faith- 
ful and  unwearied  discharge  of  our  duty  to  our  country,  let 
us  joyfully  leave  our  concerns  in  the  hands  of  Him  who  raiseth 
up  and  putteth  down  the  empires  and  kingdoms  of  the  world 
as  lie  pleases;  and  with  cheerful  submission  to  his  sovereign 
will,  devoutly  say, 

"  Jlihough  the  Jig  free  shall  not  blossom,  neither  shall  fruit  be 
in  the  vines;  the  labour  of  the  olive  shall  fail,  and  the  field  shall 


HANCOCK.  21 1 

yi  tld  no  meal;  thejlock  shall  be  cutoff  from  the  fold;  and  there 
shall  be  no  herd  in  the  stalls;  yet  ice  will  rejoice  in  the  Lord,  wa 
will  joy  in  the  God  of  our  salvation." 

The  battle  of  Lexington  now  announced  the  commencement 
of  the  revolutionary  war.  To  gain  possession  of  the  persons 
of  Hancock  and  Adams,  who  lodged  together  in  that  village, 
was  one  of  the  motives,  it  is  said,  of  the  expedition  which  led 
to  that  memorable  conflict.  The  design,  though  covered  with 
great  secrecy,  was  anticipated,  and  the  victims  escaped,  upon 
the  entrance  of  their  habitation  by  the  British  troops.  Thus, 
by  the  felicitous  intervention  of  a  moment,  were  rescued  from 
a  virulent  enemy,  and  perhaps  from  the  executioner,  those 
who  were  to  contribute  by  their  future  virtues,  to  the  revolu- 
tion of  empires,  and  to  be  handed  down  to  posterity  as  the  be- 
nefactors of  mankind. 

The  defeat  of  the  English  in  this  battle  was  followed  by  the 
governor's  proclamation,  declaring  the  province  in  a  state  of 
rebellion;  offering,  at  the  same  time,  pardon  to  all  whose  pe- 
nitence should  recommend  them  to  this  act  of  grace,  with  the 
exception  of  those  notorious  offenders,  Samuel  Adams,  and 
John  Hancock.  These,  by  the  enormity  of  their  guilt,  which 
was  declared  too  flagitious  for  impunity,  were  reserved  to  pro- 
pitiate the  ferocity  of  the  royal  vengeance.  But  this  signal 
and  glorious  denunciation,  less  the  effect  of  good  policy,  than 
of  passion,  advanced  these  popular  chiefs  upon  the  lists  of 
fame;  they  were  every  where  hailed  with  increased  acclama- 
tions and  applauses,  and  not  only  by  their  illustrious  merits, 
but  by  the  dangers  to  which  they  were  exposed,  were  endear- 
ed to  the  affections  of  their  countrymen. 

Hancock,  in  October,  1774,  was  unanimously  elected  pre- 
sident of  the  provincial  congress  of  Massachusetts.  In  1775, 
he  attained  the  meridian  of  his  political  distinction,  and  the 
highest  honour  that  the  confidence  or  the  esteem  of  his  com- 
patriots could  bestow  upon  him;  being  made  president  of  the 
continental  congress.  By  his  long  experience  in  business,  as 
moderator  of  the  town  meetings,  president  and  speaker  of  the 
provincial  assemblies  and  conventions,  during  times  of  great 
turbulence  and  commotion,  in  his  native  state,  he  was  emi- 
nently qualified,  as  well  by  his  natural  dignity  of  manners,  to 
preside  in  this  great  council  of  the  nation. 

That  there  were,  in  this  assembly,  personages  of  a  superior 
age  to  that  of  Mr.  Hancock,  and  men,  at  the  same  time,  of  pre- 
eminent virtues  and  talents,  will  not  be  denied;  who  required 
at  least  some  indications  of  deference  from  a  generous  mind, 
in  reference  of  their  merits.  It  was,  besides,  on  occasion 
upon  which  calmness  and  composure  had  been  little  commen- 
dable: and  upon  which  indifference,  or  a  haughty  and  super- 


813  HANCOCK. 

eilious  confidence  had  been  criminal  in  him  who  was  crowned 
with  the  principal  honours.  For  rarely  in  the  vicissitudes  of 
nations,  has  it  happened  that  interests  more  sacred  have  been 
confided  to  the  infirmity  of  human  wisdom  or  integrity  ;  and 
that  a  spectacle  more  imposing  has  been  exhibited  to  human 
observation. 

In  1776,  July  4th,  his  name  appears  as  president  of  the  con- 
gress which  declared  the  colonies  independant  of  the  crown 
of  Great  Britain.  The  name  of  the  president  alone  was  pub- 
lished with  the  declaration,  though  every  member  signed  it. 
It  was  a  mark  of  respect  due  to  Massachusetts,  to  have  one  of 
their  members  in  the  chair,  which  had  been  filled  by  a  member 
from  South  Carolina  and  Virginia.  Mr  Hancock  had  those 
talents  which  were  calculated  to  make  him  appear  to  more 
advantage  as  chairman,  than  in  the  debates  of  a  public  body. 
He  excelled  as  moderator  of  the  Boston  town-meetings,  as 
president  of  the  provincial  congress,  and  state  convention ; 
and,  as  head  of  the  great  council  of  our  nation,  he  was  much 
respected.  He  discovered  a  fine  address,  great  impartiality, 
sufficient  spirit  to  command  attention,  and  preserve  order. 
His  voice  and  manner  were  much  in  his  favour,  and  his  ex- 
perience in  public  business,  gave  him  ease  and  dignity. 

In  1779,  Mr.  Hancock  resigned  his  place  in  congress.  He 
was  chosen  a  member  of  the  convention  that  formed  the  consti- 
tution of  Massachusetts. 

From  1780  to  1785,  Mr.  Hancock  was  annually  chosen  go- 
vernor of  the  commonwealth  of  Massachusetts.  He  declined 
being  a  candidate  for  the  office  the  ensuing  year,  and  was  suc- 
ceeded by  the  honourable  James  Bowdoin,  Esq.  During  the 
administration  of  Mr.  Bowdoin,  there  was  an  insurrection  in 
the  state,  which  was  happily  quelled.  Every  thing  was  done 
in  the  most  judicious  manner,  by  the  governor  and  the  legis- 
lature, yet  a  part  of  the  community  appeared  to  be  discontent- 
ed with  the  administration,  and  in  the  year  1787,  Mr.  Han- 
cock was  again  placed  in  the  chair. 

His  conduct  in  the  state  convention  during  the  discussion 
of  it,  gained  him  honour.  The  opposition  to  this  excellent 
form  of  government  was  great.  It  wras  said  that  the  majo- 
rity of  the  convention  would  be  against  the  adoption ;  and 
that  the  governor  was  with  the  opposers.  He  was  chosen  pre- 
sident  of  the  convention,  but  did  not  attend  the  debates  till 
the  latter  week  of  the  session.  Certain  amendments  were 
proposed  to  remove  the  objections  of  those,  who  thought  some 
of  the  articles  deprived  the  people  of  their  rights.  He  intro- 
duced these  amendments  with  great  propriety,  and  voted  for 
the  adoption  of  the  constitution.  His  name  and  influence 
doubtless  turned  many  in  favour  of  the  federal  government. 


HANCOCK.  213 

The  latter  years  of  his  administration  were  easy  to  him  on 
account  of  the  public  tranquility.  The  federal  government 
became  the  source  of  so  much  prosperity,  that  the  people  were 
easy  and  happy.  The  two  patriots,  Hancock  and  Adams, 
were  reconciled.  When  lieutenant  governor  dishing  died, 
general  Lincoln  was  chosen  as  his  successor.  This  gave  great 
offence  to  Mr.  Adams,  and  it  Mas  very  disagreeable  to  the  go- 
vernor. They  joined  their  strength  to  support  the  same  mea- 
sures, as  well  as  renewed  their  friendship.  The  next  year, 
Lincoln  was  left  out  of  office,  and  Mr.  Adams  chosen  lieute- 
nant governor.  This  gentlemen  succeeded  Mr.  Hancock,  as 
governor  of  the  commonwealth,  after  his  death. 

He  had  married,  about  twenty  years  before  his  death,  Mis.s 
Quincy,  daughter  of  an  eminent  magistrate  of  Boston.  No 
children  were,  however,  left  to  inherit  his  fortune,  or  per- 
petuate his  name;  his  only  son  having  died  in  his  youth. 

He  died  suddenly  on  the  8th  of  October,  1793,  in  the  55th 
year  of  his  age.  During  several  days,  his  body  lay  in  state 
at  his  mansion,  where  great  multitudes  thronged  to  pay  the 
last  offices  of  their  grief  and  affection.  His  obsequies  were  at- 
tended witli  great  pomp  and  solemnity,  and  amidst  the  tears  of 
his  countrymen,  he  was  committed  to  the  dust.  Dr.  Thacher 
preached  his  funeral  sermon  the  next  sabbath.  He  was  very 
friendly  to  the  clergy  of  all  denominations,  and  did  a  great 
deal  to  promote  the  cause  of  learning  as  well  as  religion. — 
The  library  of  Harvard  college  will  give  an  exhibition  of  his 
munificence:  for  the  name  of  Hancock,  in  golden  letters,  now 
adorns  one  of  the  alcoves  of  the  library  room,  and  is  upon 
the  records  of  the  university  among  her  greatest  benefactors. 

In  stature  he  was  above  the  middle  size,  of  excellent  pro- 
portion of  limbs,  of  extreme  benignity  of  countenance;  pos- 
sessing a  flexible  and  harmonious  voice,  a  manly  and  digni- 
fied aspect.  By  the  improvement  of  these  natural  qualities 
from  observation  and  extensive  intercourse  with  the  world,  he 
had  acquired  a  pleasing  elocution  with  the  most  graceful  and 
conciliating  manners;  acquisitions  which  are  perhaps  less 
fitted  to  the  austere  virtues  of  a  republic,  than  to  the  glitter 
and  magnificence  of  monarchy;  but  were  used  by  Mr.  Han- 
cock in  arts  so  liberal  and  beneficial  to  his  country,  that  the 
most  unsocial  and  supercilious  advocate  of  sobriety,  will  par- 
don him  the  possession  of  them. 

Of  his  talents  it  is  a  sufficient  evidence,  that,  in  the  various 
stations  to  which  his  fortune  had  elevated  him  in  the  republic, 
he  acquitted  himself  with  an  honourable  distinction  and  ca- 
pacity. His  communications  to  the  general  assembly,  and  his 
correspondence  as  president  of  congress,  are  titles  of  no  ordi- 
nary commendation.  Of  extensive  erudition  he  has  given  no 
positive  testimony.    His  knowledge  was  practical  and  fami- 


214  HANCOCK. 

liar.     He  neither  penetrated  the  intricacies  of  profound  re- 
search, nor  did  he  mount  inaccessible  elevations. 

Of  the  other  statesmen  and  warriors  of  the  revolution,  and 
especially  of  the  members  of  the  continental  congress,  it  may 
be  observed,  that  in  wisdom  and  intelligence,  as  well  as  in- 
tegrity and  magnanimity,  they  suffer  no  degradation  in  being 
compared  with  the  most  illustrious  patriots  of  ancient  or  mo- 
dern times. 

Mr.  Hancock  was  promoted  to  every  office  which  a  man 
fond  of  public  life  could  expect  or  desire.  Such  an  elevation 
to  prosperous  circumstances  would  make  some  men  giddy, 
and  cause  others  to  despise  their  neighbour,  poorer  than 
themselves. 

"  The  greatest  fault  in  his  character,  was  apevishness  and 
irritability  that  often  grieved  his  friends,  but  which  was  for- 
given, on  reflecting,  that  this  failing  was  not  owing  to  a  bad 
heart,  or  a  mean  spirit,  but  to  perpetual  ill  health.  His  con- 
stitution was  naturally  feeble,  and  he  was  for  many  years  se- 
verely afflicted  with  the  gout.  The  greater  portion  of  his  life, 
indeed,  was  passed  in  physical  suffering  ;  his  mind  rose  supe- 
rior to  this  misfortune  in  the  discharge  of  his  public  duties  : 
and  as  he  never  relaxed  from  these,  while  it  was  possible  for 
him  to  continue  his  efforts,  his  family,  and  his  acqaintance, 
bore  with  indulgence  a  natural  consequence  of  infirmities,  un- 
der which  a  less  powerful  mind  would  have  sunk  entirely. 

"  He  possessed  many  valuable  qualifications  for  public  life, 
a  knowledge  of  business,  and  facility  in  despatching  it,  and  a 
ready  insight  into  the  characters  of  men.  As  an  orator,  he 
was  not  remarkable  ;  he  seldom  made  an  elaborate  speech, 
and  the  only  discourse  of  his  in  print,  is  the  oration  on  the  5th 
of  March,  1774.  But  as  the  president,  moderator,  or  speaker, 
of  an  assembly,  whether  it  was  a  town  meeting,  or  a  house  of 
representatives,  he  was  not  surpassed  by  any  person  of  his 
time.  His  voice  was  powerful,  his  acquaintance  with  parlia- 
mentary forms,  accurate,  and  his  apprehension  of  questions, 
quick  ;  he  was  attentive,  impartial,  and  dignified;  and  in  these 
situations  inspired  respect  and  confidence  wherever  he  pre- 
sided. 

The  editor  will  again  refer  to,  and  give  an  extract  from, 
the  oration  of  Richard  Rush,  Esq.  delivered  at  the  city  of 
Washington,  July  4,  1812.  He  said,  "during  the  siege  of 
Boston,  general  Washington  consulted  congress  upon  the  pro- 
priety of  bombarding  the  town.  Mr.  Hancock  was  then  pre- 
sident of  congress.  After  general  Washington's  letter  was 
read,  a  solemn  silence  ensued.  This  was  broken  by  a  mem- 
ber making  a  motion  that  the  house  should  resolve  itself  into 
a  committee  of  the  whole,  in  order  that  Mr.  Hancock  might 


HATHAWAY— HAWKINS.  £15 

give  his  opinion  upon  the  subject,  as  he  was  so  deeply  inter- 
ested from  having  all  his  estate  in  Boston.  After  he  left  tho 
chair,  he  addressed  the  chairman  of  the  committee  of  the 
whole,  in  the  following  words:  "It  is  true,  sir,  nearly  all  tho 
property  I  have  in  the  world,  is  in  houses  and  other  real  estate 
in  the  town  of  Boston;  but  if  the  expulsion  of  the  British  army 
from  it,  and  the  liberties  of  our  country  require  their  being 
burnt  to  ashes,  issue  the  orders  for  that  purpose  immediately." 

HATHAWAY,  Bejvoni,  was  a  brave  officer  in  the  revolu- 
tionary war.  At  the  commencement  of  our  revolutionary 
struggle,  this  venerable  man  was  in  the  prime  of  youth  and 
vigour  of  manhood,  and  was,  from  its  beginning  to  its  close, 
one  of  its  most  steady  and  firm  supporters.  When  New  Jer- 
sey was  overrun  by  the  enemy,  when  Newark,  Elizabethtown, 
New  Brunswick,  and  most  of  our  principal  towns  and  vil- 
lages were  in  their  possession,  he  was  constantly  and  actively 
employed  on  tours  of  militia  duty.  He  commanded  a  com- 
pany, acting  under  the  orders  of  brigadier  general  Winds, 
and  possessed  the  entire  confidence  of  his  commander  and  of 
his  men.  He  was  a  man  of  cool  and  determined  courage  and 
prudence,  and  from  his  perfect  knowledge  of  the  country,  and 
the  adroitness  of  his  men  in  the  use  of  the  musket,  they  were 
enabled  greatly  to  annoy  and  harrass  the  enemy,  by  hanging 
on  their  rear,  cutting  off  their  supplies,  intercepting  their  fo- 
raging parties,  capturing  their  guards  and  sentinels,  surpris- 
ing their  camp  at  night,  &c.  &c.  In  a  night  attack  which  he 
made  at  Elizabethtown,  in  December,  1777,  upon  the  British 
and  Hessians  under  general  Kniphausen,  he  received  a  mus- 
ket ball  at  the  margin  of  the  ear,  which,  striking  the  skull 
obliquely,  and  glancing  backward  between  the  skull  and  the 
skin,  passed  out  at  the  back  part  of  the  head.  He  was  car- 
ried off  by  his  men,  supposed  to  be  mortally  wounded,  but  re- 
covered. 

He  died  at  Newark,  New  Jersey,  on  the  1 9th  of  April, 
1823,  in  the  seventieth  year  of  his  age. 

HAWKINS,  Nathan,  was  a  native  of  Rhode  Island.  He 
manifested  an  early  opposition  to  the  oppressive  acts  of  Great 
Britain.  When  the  port  of  Boston  was  shut,  in  1774,  though 
scarcely  arrived  to  manhood,  he  was  delegated  by  the  town  of 
South  Kingston  to  present  an  offer  of  provisions  to  the  suf- 
fering inhabitants  of  Boston.  When  the  news  of  the  ever 
memorable  battle  of  Lexington,  the  first  struggle  for  liberty, 
reached  his  native  village,  it  was  midnight,  and  was  announc- 

lit  Oy  O7 

ed  by  the  firing  of  cannon  and  the  ringing  of  bells;  the  watch- 
word then  was,  "we  must  fight,"  and  before  twelve  hours 
had  expired,  lie  was  at  the  head  of  a  volunteer  corps,  march- 
ing to  the  scene  of  action.  After  this  he  entered  the  state  and 


216  HAWLEY. 

United  States'  service,  and  was  in  several  engagements  dur- 
ing the  revolution.  At  length  he  retired  to  Charlestown,  Mas- 
sachusetts, where  he  lived  an  independent  life  by  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  soil. 

He  died  in  Charlestown,  Massachusetts,  on  the  3d  of  Octo- 
ber, 1817,  in  the  sixty-ninth  year  of  his  age.  In  his  death 
we  record  another  of  the  few  remaining  officers  of  the  revolu- 
tion. As  they  pass  off  it  may  be  instructive  to  pause  and  en- 
quire who  they  are  who  are  dear  to  every  American,  and  why 
they  have  so  strong  a  hold  on  our  sympathy  and  affection,  for 
in  them  we  see  that  we  are  losing  the  founders  of  our  country. 
Bigoted  to  no  party,  he  was  ever  a  warm  advocate  for  the 
principles  of  the  revolution,  and  was  highly  respected  for  his 
patriotism  and  integrity.  For  near  thirty  years  he  succes- 
sively held  offices  of  trust  and  honour  in  the  town,  and  we  be- 
lieve him  deserving  of  that  character  which  is  above  all  praise, 
an  honest  man. 

HAWLEY,  Joseph,  distinguished  as  a  statesmand  and 
patriot,  was  born  in  Northampton,  Massachusetts,  in  1724, 
and  was  graduated  in  Yale  college  in  1742.  Soon  after  fin- 
ishing his  collegial  education,  he  engaged  in  the  study  and 
the  practice  of  the  law  in  his  native  town.  In  this  science  he 
became  a  great  proficient,  and  was  one  of  the  most  distin- 
guished counsellors  in  the  province.  Among  his  other  stu- 
dies, he  attained  to  such  an  eminence  of  knowledge  in  politi- 
cal history,  and  the  principles  of  free  government,  that,  dur- 
ing the  disputes  between  Great  Britain  and  the  colonies,  he 
was  regarded  as  one  of  the  ablest  advocates  of  American  li- 
berty. His  integrity,  both  in  public  and  in  private  life,  was 
inflexible,  and  was  not  even  questioned  by  his  political  oppo- 
nents. He  was  repeatedly  elected  a  member  of  the  council* 
but  refused  in  every  instance  to  accept  the  office,  as  he  prefer- 
red a  seat  in  the  house  of  representatives,  where  his  charac- 
ter for  disinterested  patriotism,  and  his  bold  and  manly  elo- 
quence gave  him  an  ascendency,  which  has  seldom  been  equal- 
led. 

In  1776,  he,  together  with  Samuel  Adams  and  John  Han- 
cock, were  elected  members  of  the  legislature.  He  acquir- 
ed great  influence  in  the  public  councils.  The  ascendancy 
which  was  allotted  to  him  by  the  deference  of  others,  was  a 
fortunate  circumstance  for  his  country.  Never  was  influence 
exercised  with  more  intelligent,  devoted  and  inflexible  patri- 
otism. He  made  up  his  mind  earlier  than  most  men,  that  the 
struggle  against  oppression  would  lead  to  war,  and  that  our 
rights  at  last  must  be  secured  by  our  arms.  As  the  crisis  ap- 
proached, when  some  persons  urged  upon  him  the  danger  of 
a  contest,  so  apparently  unequal,  his  answer  was,  "We  must 
put  to  sea,  Providence  will  bring  us  into  port." 


IIAWLEY.  217 

From  a  correspondence  between  Mr.  John  Adams,  late  pre- 
sident of  the  United  States,  and  William  Wirt.  Esq.  of  Vir- 
ginia, the  biographer  of  Patrick  Henry,  it  would  seem  that 
the  declaration.  "We  must  fight,"  which  Mr.  Wirt  had  claim- 
ed for  Mr.  Henry,  was  derived  from  a  letter  which  he  him- 
self had  shown  to  Mr.  Henry,   written  by  major  Hawlcy,  in 

1774.  Mr.  Adams,  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Wirt,  dated  Quincy, 
January  23,  1818,  says,  "When  congress  had  finished  their 
business,  as  they  thought,  in  the  autumn  of  1774,  I  had,  with 
Mr.  Henry  before  we  took  leave  of  each  other,  some  familiar 
conversation,  in  which  I  expressed  a  full  conviction  that  our 
resolves,  declaration  of  rights,  enumeration  of  wrongs,  pe- 
titions, remonstrances  and  addresses,  associations,  and  non- 
importation agreements,  however  they  might  be  expected  in 
America,  and  however  necessary  to  cement  the  union  of  the 
colonies,  would  be  but  waste  water  in  England,  Mr.  Hen- 
ry said  they  might  make  some  impression  among  the  people 
of  England,  hut  agreed  with  me  that  they  would  be  totally 
lost  upon  the  government.  I  had  just  received  a  short  and 
hasty  letter,  written  to  me  by  major  Joseph  Hawley,  of  North- 
ampton, containing  a  few  'broken  hints,'  as  he  called  them, 
of  what  he  thought  was  proper  to  be  done,  and  concluding 
with  these  words,  'after  all  we  must  fight.'  This  let- 
ter I  read  to  Mr.  Henry,  who  listened  witb  great  attention, 
and  as  soon  as  I  had  pronounced  the  words,  'after  all  we  must 
fight,'  he  raised  his  head,  and,  with  an  energy  and  vehemence 

that  I  never  can  forget,  broke  out  with  'By I  am  of  that 

man's  mind.9  I  put  the  letter  into  his  hand,  and  when  he  had 
read  it  he  returned  it  to  me,  with  an  equally  solemn  assever- 
ation, that  he  agreed  entirely  in  opinion  with  the  writer.  I 
considered  this  as  a  sacred  oath,  upon  a  very  great  occasion, 
and  could  have  swrorn  it  as  religiously  as  he  did.  and  by  no 
means  inconsistent  with  what  you  say,  in  some  part  of  your 
book,  that  he  never  took  the  Sacred  Name  in  vain." 

"As  1  knew  the  sentiments  with  which  Mr.  Henry  left 
congress  in  the  autumn  of  1774,  and  knew  the  chapter  and 
verse  from  which  he  had  borrowed  the  sublime  expression, 
'We  must  fight,'  I  was  not  at  all  surprised  at  your  history, 
in  the  122d  page,  in  the  note,  and  in  some  of  the  preceding 
and  following  pages.     Mr.  Henry  only  pursued  in  March, 

1775,  the  views  and  vows  of  November,  1774. 

"The  other  delegates  from  Virginia  returned  to  their  state 
in  full  confidence,  that  all  our  grievances  would  be  redressed. 
The  last  words  that  Mr.  Richard  Henry  Lee  said  to  me  when 
we  parted,  were,  "we  shall  infallibly  carry  all  our  points.  Ton 
will  be  completely  relieved;  all  the  offensive  acts  will  be  repeal- 

2% 


218  HAWLEY. 

cdi  the  army  aud  fleet  will  be  recalled,  and  Britain  will  gtvs 
up  her  foolish  project.' 

"  Washington  only  was  in  doubt.  He  never  spoke  in  pub- 
lic. In  private  he  joined  with  those,  who  advocated  a  non- 
exportation,  as  well  as  a  non-importation  agreement.  With 
both  he  thought  we  should  prevail;  without  either,  he  thought 
it  doubtful.  Henry  was  clear  in  One  opinion,  Richard  Henry 
Lee  in  an  opposite* opinion,  and  Washington  doubted  between 
the  two.  Henry,  however,  appeared  in  the  end  to  be  exactly  in 
the  right." 

In  1819,  president  Adams  communicated  the  'broken  hints/ 
alluded  to  in  the  foregoing,  to  II.  Xiles,  Esq.  which  are  insert- 
ed at  length  in  Mr.  Niles's  valuable  work,  entitled.  "Princi- 
ples and  Acts  of  the  Revolution  in  America."  a  work  which 
ought  to  be  in  the  library  of  every  man  w  ho  \  enerates  the  prin- 
ciples and  the  men  of  '76.  We  here  insert  an  extract  from 
the  "broken  hints." 

"We  must  jight,  if  we  caivt  otherwise  rid  ourselves  of  Bri- 
tish taxation,* all  revenues,  and  the  constitution  or  form  of  go- 
vernment enacted  for  us  by  the  British  parliament.  It  is  evil 
against  right:  utterly  intolerable  to  every  man  who  has  any 
idea  or  feeling  of  right  or  liberty. 

"It  is  easy  to  demonstrate  that  the  regulation  act  will  soon 
annihilate  every  thing  of  value  in  the  charter,  introduce  per- 
fect despotism,  "and  render  the  house  of  representatives  a  mere 
form  and  ministerial  engine. 

4,It  is  now  or  never,  that  we  must  assert  our  liberty. — 
Twenty  years  will  make  the  number  of  tories  on  this  continent 
equal  to  the  number  of  whigs.  Thev  who  shall  be  born  will 
not  have  any  idea  of  a  free  government. 

"It  w  ill  necessarily  be  a  question,  whether  the  new  govern- 
ment of  this  province  shall  be  suffered  to  take  place  at  all;  or 
whether  it  shall  be  immediately  withstood  and  resisted? 

"A  most  important  question  this:  I  humbly  conceive  it  not 
best  forcibly  or  wholly  to  resist  it  immediately. 

"There  is  not  heat  enough  yet  for  battle.  Constant,  and  a 
sort  of  negative  resistance  of  government,  will  increase  the 
heat  and  blow  the  fire.  There  is  not  military  skill  enough. 
That  is  improving,  and  must  be  encouraged  and  improved, 
but  will  daily  increase, 

"Fight  we  must,  finally,  unless  Britain  retreats. 
♦'But  it  is  of  infinite  consequence  that  victory  be  thr  e   d 
and  issue  of  hostilities.     If  we  get  to  fighting  before  necess     J 
dispositions  are  made  for  it,  we  shall  be  conquered,   and  ail 
will  be  lost  forever. 

"Our  salvation  depends  upon  an  established  persevering 
union  of  the  colonies. 


HAWLEY.  319 

'The  tools  of  administration  arc  using  every  device  and 
effort  to  destroy  that  union,  and  they  will  certainly  continue 
so  to  do. 

"Thereupon,  all  possible  devices  and  endeavors  must  be 
used  to  establish,  improve,  brighten,  and  maintain  such  union. 

"Every  grievance  of  any  one;  colony  must  be  held  and  con 
sidered  by  the  whole  as  a  grievance  to  (be  whole,  and  must 
operate  on  the  whole  as  a  grievance  to  the  whole.     This  will 
be  a  difficult  matter  to  effect:  but  it  must  be  done, 

"Quere,  therefore:  whether  is  it  not  absolutely  necessary 
that  some  plan  be  settled  lor  a  continuation  of  congresses? — 
But  here  we  must  be  aware  that  congresses  will  soon  be  de~ 
lared  and  emu  ted  by  parliament,  to  be  high  treason. 

"Is  the  India  company  to  he  compensated  or  not? 

"If  to  he  compensated  ;  each  colony  to  pay  the  particular 
damage  she  has  done,  or  is  an  average  to  be  made  on  the  con- 
tinent'' 

"The  destruction  of  the,  tea  was  not  unjust:  therefore,  to 
what  good  purpose  is  the  tea  to  he  paid  lor,  unless  wc  are  as- 
sured that,  by  so  doing,  our  lights  will  be  restored  and  peace 
obtained? 

"What  future  measures  is  the  continent  to  preserve,  with  re- 
gard to  imported  dutiedtea,  whether  it.  comes  as  Bast  India 
property  or  otherwise,  under  the  pretence  and  lie  that  the  tea 
IS  imported  from  Holland,  and  the  goods  imported  before  a 
retain  given  day?  Dutied  tea  will  be  imported  and  consum- 
ed; goods  continue  to  be  imported:  your  non-importation 
agreement  eluded,  rendered  contemptible  and  ridiculous:  un- 
less all  teas  used,   and  ;ill   goods,  are  taken  into  some  public 

custody  which  will  be  inviolably  faithful. " 

Major  Maw  by  did  not  appear  in  the  legislature  after  the 
year  I77u\  but  he  never  relaxed  his  z<  a]  in  the  service  of  his 
country,  and  was  ready  to  contribute  his  efforts  to  the  public 
service.     By  his  private  exertions  he  rendered  assistance,  at 

some  very  critical  and  discouraging  periods.       At,  the  season 

when  the  prospects  of  the  American  army  were  the  most 

gloomy,  when  the  Jerseys  were  overrun,  and  the  feelings  of 
many  were  on  the  verge  of  despondency,  he  exerted  himself 
with  great;  activity  and  success,  to  rally  the  spirits  of  his  fel- 
low-citizens. At  this  time,  when  apathy  appeared  stealing 
upon  tin;  country,  and  the  people  were  reluctant  to  march,  on 
a  seemingly  desperate  enterprise,  tie  addressed  a  body  of  mi- 
litia to  urge  them  to  volunteer  as  recruits.  His  manly  elo 
quence,  his  powerful  appeals  to  their  pride,  their  patriotism, 

their  duty,  to  every  tiling  which  they   held  (Unr  and  sacred. 
awakened  their  dormant,  feelings,   and  excited  them  to  enthu 
Miasm. 


220  HAYJSE. 

Major  Ilawlcy  was  a  sincerely  religious  and  pious  man, 
but  here,  as  in  politics,  he  loathed  all  tyranny  and  fanatical 
usurpation.  In  the  latter  part  of  1776,  he  was  afflicted  with 
hypochondriacal  disorders,  to  which  he  had  been  frequently 
subject  in  former  periods  of  his  life;  and  after  this  declined 
public  business.  He  died,  March  10,  1788,  aged  sixty-four 
years. 

Major  Hawley  was  a  patriot  without  personal  animosities, 
an  orator  without  vanity,  a  lawyer  without  chicanery,  and  a 
gentleman  without  ostentation:  a  statesman  without  duplicity, 
and  a  christian  without  bigotry.  As  a  man  of  commanding 
talents,  his  firm  renunciation  and  self-denial  of  all  ambitious 
views,  would  have  secured  him  that  respect  which  such 
strength  of  mind  inevitably  inspires;  while  his  voluntary  and 
zealous  devotion  to  the  service  of  his  countrymen,  established 
him  in  their  affection.  His  uprightness  and  plainness,  united 
to  his  affability  and  disinterestedness,  gave  most  extensive  in- 
fluence to  his  opinions,  and  in  a  period  of  doubt,  divisions  and 
danger,  men  sought  relief  from  their  perplexities  in  his  au- 
thority, and  suffered  their  course  to  be  guided  by  him;  when 
they  distrusted  their  own  judgments,  or  the  counsels  of  others. 
He,  in  fine,  formed  one  of  those  manly,  public  spirited,  and 
generous  citizens,  ready  to  share  peril  and  decline  reward, 
who  illustrate  the  idea  of  a  commonwealth,  and  who,  through 
the  obstructions  of  human  passions  and  infirmities,  being  of 
rare  occurrence,  will  always  be  the  most  admired,  appropri- 
ate, and  noble  ornaments  of  a  free  government. 

HAYNE,  Isaac,  a  martyr  to  American  liberty,  during  the 
revolutionary  war,  served  his  country  as  an  officer  of  militia, 
during  the  siege  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina.  After  the 
city  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the  British,  lord  Cornwallis 
issued  a  proclamation,  requiring  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  co- 
lony, that  they  should  no  longer  take  part  in  the  contest,  but 
continue  peaceably  at  their  homes,  and  they  should  be  most  sa- 
credly protected  in  property  and  person.  This  was  accom- 
panied with  an  instrument  of  neutrality,  which  soon  obtained 
the  signatures  of  many  of  the  citizens  of  South  Carolina, 
among  whom  was  colonel  Hayne.  There  was  no  alternative 
left  him,  but  to  abandon  his  family  and  property,  or  to  surren- 
der to  the  conquerors.  The  small  pox  was  near  his  planta- 
tion, and  he  had  a  wife  and  six  small  children,  and  more  than 
one  hundred  negroes,  all  liable  to  the  disease.  To  acknow- 
ledge himself  the  subject  of  a  government  which  he  had  from 
principle  renounced,  was  repugnant  to  his  feelings ;  but, 
without  this,  he  was  cut  off  from  every  prospect  of  return  to 
his  family. 
In  this  embarrassing  situation,  he  waited  on  Dr.  Ramsay, 


IIAYNE.  221 

with  a  declaration  to  the  following  effect.  "If  the  British 
would  grant  me  the  indulgence  which  we  in  the  day  of  our 
power  gave  to  their  adherents,  of  removing  my  family  and 
property,  I  would  seek  an  asylum  in  tiie  remotest  corner  of 
the  United  States,  rather  than  submit  to  their  government; 
but,  as  they  allow  no  other  alternative  than  submission  or 
confinement  in  the  capital,  at  a  distance  from  my  wife  and  fa- 
mily, at  a  time  when  they  are  in  the  most  pressing  need  of  m^ 
presence  and  support,  I  must  for  the  present  yield  to  the  de- 
mands of  the  conquerors.  I  request  you  to  hear  in  mind,  that 
previous  to  my  taking  this  step,  I  declare  that  it  is  contrary 
to  my  inclination,  and  forced  on  me  by  hard  necessity.  I 
never  will  hear  arms  against  my  country.  My  new  masters 
can  require  no  service  of  me,  but  what  is  enjoined  by  the  old 
militia  law  of  the  province,  which  substitutes  a  fine  in  lieu  of 
personal  service.  This  I  will  pay  as  the  price  of  my  protec- 
tion. If  my  conduct  should  be  censured  by  my  countrymen, 
I  beg  that  you  would  remember  this  conversation,  and  bear 
witness  for  me,  that  I  do  not  mean  to  desert  the  cause  of  Ame- 
rica." 

In  this  state  of  perplexity,  colonel  Hayne  subscribed  a  de- 
claration of  his  allegiance  to  the  king  of  Great  Britain  ;  but 
not  without  expressly  objecting  to  the  clause  which  required 
him  with  Ids  arms  to  support  the  royal  government.  The  com- 
mandant of  the  garrison,  Brigadier  general  Patterson  and 
James  Simpson,  Esquire,  intend ent  of  the  British  police,  as- 
sured him  that  this  would  never  he  required;  and  added  fur- 
ther, that  when  the  regular  forces  could  not  defend  the  coun- 
try, without  the  aid  of  its  inhabitants,  it  would  be  high  time 
for  the  royal  army  to  quit  it.  Having  submitted  to  the  royal 
goverment,  he  was  permitted  to  return  to  his  family.  Not- 
withstanding what  had  passed  at  the  time  of  his  submission, 
he  was  repeatedly  called  on  to  take  arms  against  his  country- 
men, and  finally  threatened  with  close  confinement  in  case  of 
a  further  refusal.  This  he  considered  as  a  breach  of  contract, 
and  it  being  no  longer  in  the  power  of  the  British  to  give  him 
that  protection  which  was  to  be  the  compensation  of  his  alle- 
giance, he  viewed  himself  as  released  from  all  engagements 
to  their  commanders. 

Colonel  Hayne  now  being  compelled,  in  violation  of  the 
most  solemn  compact,  to  take  up  arms,  resolved  that  the  in- 
vaders of  his  native  country  should  be  the  objects  of  his  ven- 
geance. He  withdrew  from  the  British,  and  was  invested 
with  a  command  in  the  continental  service;  but  it  was  soon 
his  hard  fortune  to  be  captured  by  the  enemy  and  carried  into 
Charleston.  Lord  Rawdon,  the  commandant,  immediately  or- 
dered him  to  be  loaded  with  irons,  and,  after  a  sort  of  a  mock 


222  HAYNE. 

trial,  he  was  sentenced  to  be  hung  !  This  sentence  seized  all 
classes  of  people  with  horror  and  dismay,  A  petition,  headed 
by  the  British  Governor  Bull,  and  signed  by  a  number  of  Roy- 
alists, was  presented  in  his  behalf,  but  was  totally  disregarded. 
The  ladies  of  Charleston,  both  whigs  and  tories,  now  united 
in  a  petition  to  Lord  Rawdon,  couched  in  the  most  eloquent 
and  moving  language,  praying  that  the  valuable  life  of  Co- 
lonel Hayne  might  be  spared :  but  this  also  was  treated  with 
neglect.  It  was  next  proposed  that  Colonel  Hayne's  children, 
(the  mother  had  recently  expired  with  the  small  pox,)  should 
in  their  mourning  habiliments,  be  presented  to  plead  for  the 
life  of  their  only  surviving  parent.  Being  introduced  into  his 
presence,  they  fell  on  their  knees,  and  with  clasped  hands  and 
weeping  eyes,  they  lisped  their  father's  name  and  plead  most 
earnestly  for  his  life.  Reader  !  what  is  your  anticipation ; 
do  you  imagine  that  Lord  Rawdon,  pitying  their  motherless 
condition,  tenderly  embraced  these  afllicted  children  and  res- 
tored them  to  the  fond  embrace  of  their  father  ?  No  !  !  the  un- 
feeling man  was  still  inexorable;  he  suffered  even  these  little 
ones  to  plead  in  vain  !  His  son,  was  permitted  to  stay 
with  his  father  in  prison,  who  beholding  his  only  parent 
loaded  with  irons  and  condemned  to  die,  was  overwhelmed 
in  grief  and  sorrow.  "Why,"  said  he,  "my  son,  will  you 
thus  break  your  father's  heart  with  unavailing  sorrow? — 
Have  I  not  often  told  you  that  we  came  into  this  world  but  to 
prepare  for  a  better  ?  For  that  better  life,  my  dear  boy,  your 
father  is  prepared.  Instead  then  of  weeping,  rejoice  with 
me.  my  son,  that  my  troubles  arc  so  near  an  end.  To-morrow 
I  set  out  for  immortality.  You  will  accompany  me  to  the  place 
of  my  execution;  and,  when  I  am  dead,  take  and  bury  me  by 
the  side  of  your  mother."  The  youth  here  fell  on  his  father's 
neck,  crying.  "Oh,  my  father!  my  father!  I  will  die  with 
you!  I  will  die  with  you!"  Colonel  Hayne  would  have  re- 
turned the  strong  embrace  of  his  son;  but,  alas!  his  hands 
were  confined  with  irons.  "Live,"  said  he,  "my  son,  live 
to  honour  God  by  a  good  life,  live  to  serve  your  country;  and 
live  to  take  care  of  your  brother  and  little  sisters !" 

The  colonel  was  repeatedly  visited  by  his  friends,  and  con 
versed  on  various  subjects  with  a  becoming  fortitude.  He 
particularly  lamented  that,  on  principles  of  retaliation,  his 
execution  would  probably  be  an  introduction  to  the  shedding 
of  much  innocent  blood.  He  requested  those  in  whom  the  su- 
preme power  was  vested,  to  accommodate  the  mode  of  his 
death  to  the  feelings  of  an  officer;  but  this  was  refused.  On 
the  last  evening  of  his  life  he  told  a  friend  that  he  was  no 
more  alarmed  at  the  thoughts  of  death,  than  at  any  other  oc- 
currence which  was  necessary  and  unavoidable. 


tIAYNE.  223 

On  receiving  his  summons  on  the  morning  of  August  the 
4th,  to  proceed  to  the  place  of  execution,  he  delivered  to  his 
eldest  son,  a  youth  of  ahout  thirteen  years  of  age,  several  pa- 
pers relative  to  his  case,  and  said,  "  Present  these  papers  to 
Mrs.  Edwards,  with  my  request,  that  she  should  forward 
them  to  her  brother  in  congress.  You  will  repair  to  the  place 
of  execution,  receive  my  body,  and  see  it  decently  interred 
among  my  forefathers."  They  took  a  final  leave.  The  co- 
lonel's arms  were  pinioned,  and  a  guard  placed  round  his  per- 
son. The  procession  began  from  the  Exchange  in  the  fore- 
noon. The  streets  were  crowded  with  thousands  of  anxious 
spectators.  He  walked  to  the  place  of  execution  with  such 
decent  firmness,  composure  and  dignity,  as  to  awaken  the  com- 
passion of  many,  and  command  respect  from  all.  Soon  as 
they  came  in  sight  of  the  gallows,  the  father  strengthened 
himself  and  said,  "now,  my  son,  show  y ours  elf  a  man.'  That 
tree  is  the  boundary  of  my  life,  and  of  all  my  life's  sorrows.  Be- 
yond that  the  wicked  cease  from  troubling,  and  the  weary  are  at 
rest.  Don't  lay  too  much  to  heart  our  separation  from  you:  it  will 
be  but  short.  It  was  hit  lately  your  dear  mother  died  To-day  I 
die,  and  you,  my  son,  though  hit  young,  must  shortly  follow  us." 
"  Yes,  my  father,"  replied  the  broken  hearted  youth,  ".  I  shall 
shortly  follow  you;  for  indeed  I  feel  that  I  cannot  live  long." 

He  ascended  the  cart  with  a  firm  step  and  serene  aspect. 
He  inquired  of  the  executioner,  who  was  making  an  attempt 
to  get  up  to  pull  the  cap  over  his  eyes,  what  he  wanted.  On 
being  informed,  the  colonel  replied,  "I  will  save  you  the 
trouble,"  and  pulled  the  cap  over  himself.  He  was  after- 
wards asked  whether  he  wished  to  say  any  thing,  to  which 
he  answered,  "I  will  only  take  leave  of  my  friends,  and 
be  ready."  He  then  affectionately  shook  hands  with  three 
gentlemen,  recommended  his  children  to  their  care,  and  gave 
the  signal  for  the  cart  to  move. 

The  son  on  seeing  his  father  in  the  hands  of  the  execution- 
er, and  then  struggling  in  the  halter,  he  stood  like  one  trans- 
fixed and  motionless  with  horror.  Till  then  lie  had  wept  in- 
cessantly, but  soon  as  he  saw  that  sight,  the  fountain  of  his 
tears  was  staunched,  and  he  never  wept  more.  He  died  in- 
sane, and  in  his  last  moments  often  called  on  the  name  of  his 
father  in  terms  that  brought  tears  from  the  hardest  heart. 

We  have  selected  the  foregoing  particulars  from  "Thach- 
er's  Journal,"  and  "  Collections,  Historical  and  Miscellane- 
ous," a  neat  monthly  literary  Journal,  published  in  Concord, 
New  Hampshire,  by  Jacob  B.  Moore.  We  select  what  fol- 
lows, from  "  Garden's  Anecdotes  of  the  Revolutionary  War." 

"Irregularities  in  the  mode  of  conducting  the  war,  in  the 
highest  degree  disgraceful  to  the  American  cause,  had  fre- 


224  HAYNE. 

quently  occurred.  That  these  resulted,  for  the  most  part, 
irom  excessive  provocation  on  the  part  of  the  enemy,  and  law- 
less excesses  encouraged  towards  the  whig  inhabitants 
of  the  South,  cannot  be  denied,  and  as  acts  of  retaliation  can 
alone  be  palliated,  even  with  a  shadow  of  excuse.  No  man  la- 
mented them  with  greater  sincerity  than  Colonel  Hayne,  for 
none  more  anxiously  wished  the  American  character  to  be  free 
from  reproach.  Soon,  then,  as  solicited  by  his  neighbours, 
and  the  inhabitants  generally,  of  the  District,  to  resume  a 
hostile  position,  to  become  their  leader,  and  direct  their  ope- 
rations against  the  enemy,  he  made  an  honorable  and  open  de- 
claration :  "That  he  could  only  be  induced  to  comply  with 
their  wishes,  by  obtaining  a  solemn  promise  from  all  who 
were  to  serve  under  him,  that  an  immediate  stop  should  be 
put  to  every  unnecessary  severity ;  a  desideratum  the  more 
to  be  insisted  upon,  as  he  was  resolved  that  exemplary  pun- 
ishment should  be  inflicted  on  every  individual  who  should 
indulge  in  pillage,  or  commit  any  act  of  inhumanity  against 
the  foe."  A  copy  of  the  address  made  to  his  soldiers  on  this 
occasion,  was  found  on  him  at  the  period  of  his  captivity  ;  but 
although  it  forcibly  expressed  his  abhorrence  of  crime,  and 
was  replete  with  sentiments  that  did  honour  to  his  humanity, 
it  availed  not  to  soften  the  rigour  of  persecution,  nor  in  the 
slightest  degree  to  mitigate  the  severity  of  the  punishment  de- 
nounced against  him.  When  the  paper  which  contained  this 
honourable  testimony  of  generous  feeling  was  presented  to 
Major  M'Kenzie,  vsho  sat  as  President  of  the  tribunal  before 
which  Colonel  Hayne  was  arraigned,  he,  with  great  expres- 
sion of  sensibility,  requested  the  prisoner  "to  retain  it  till  he 
should  be  brought  before  the  Court  Martial  that  was  to  deter- 
mine h is  fate,"  assuring  him,  "that  the  present  Court  were 
only  directed  to  inquire,  whether  or  not  he  acknowledged  him- 
self to  be  the  individual  who  had  taken  protection."  It  is  un- 
necessary to  add,  that  this  trial  was  never  granted.  Lord 
Rawdon  reached  the  city  from  the  interior  country,  and  at  his 
command  an  order  for  immediate  execution  was  issued.  Lit- 
tle did  the  sympathy  that  melted  every  heart  to  tenderness; 
little  did  the  pathetic  address  of  the  lovely  daughters  of  the 
soil,  calculated  to  move  even  the  bosom  of  obduracy,  avail. 
Heedless  of  the  prayers  and  solicitations  of  his  afflicted 
friends  and  relatives,  deaf  to  the  cries  of  his  children,  who 
even  with  bended  knees  interceded  for  mercy,  insensible  to 
the  dictates  of  humanity,  his  resolution  was  fixed  as  ada- 
mant, and  a  hero  was  sacrificed." 

In  Lee's  memoirs  we  also  find  the  following  narrative  of 
the  last  scene  of  his  life  :  "  Accompanied  by  a  few  friends, 
he  marched  with  unruffled  serenity  through  a  weeping  crowd 


HEATH.  225 

b  the  place  of  execution.  The  sight  of  the  gibbet  accasion- 
od  a  momentary  expression  of  agony  and  dismay.  He  paused, 
but  immediately  recovering  his  wonted  firmness,,  moved  for- 
ward. At  this  instant,  a  friend  whispered  his  confidence,  that 
he  would  exhibit  an  example  of  the  firmness  with  which  an 
American  could  die.  "I  will  endeavour  to  do  so,"  was  the 
reply  of  the  modest  martyr.  Never  was  intention  better  ful- 
filled. Neither  arrogating  superiority,  nor  betraying  weak- 
ness, he  ascended  the  cart  unsupported  and  unappalled.  Hav- 
ing taken  leave  of  his  friends,  and  commended  his  infant  fa- 
mily to  their  protection,  he  drew  the  cap  over  his  eyes,  and  il- 
lustrated, by  his  demeanor,  that  death  in  the  cause  of  our  coun- 
try, even  on  a  gallows,  cannot  appal  the  virtues  of  the  brave." 

Thus  fell  colonel  Isaac  Hayne  in  the  bloom  of  life,  furnish- 
ing that  example  in  death,  which  extorted  a  confession  from 
liis  enemies,  that  though  he  did  not  die  in  a  good  cause,  he 
must  at  least  have  acted  from  a  persuasion  of  its  being  so. 

HEATH,  William,  was  a  native  of  Roxbury,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  was  from  his  youth  a  cultivator  of  the  soil, 
which  was  his  favourite  pursuit.  He  was  not  conversant  with 
general  literature,  but  being  particularly  attached  to  the 
study  of  military  tactics,  he  acquired  a  knowledge  of  modern 
warfare  in  its  various  branches  and  duties. 

At  an  early  period  of  the  opposition  of  the  colonies  to  the 
unjust  and  oppressive  measures  of  the  British  ministry,  he 
was  an  active  militia  officer,  and  assiduously  engaged  in  orga- 
nizing and  disciplining  the  companies  of  militia  and  minute 
men.  In  the  year  1775,  being  ranked  among  the  patriots  and 
advocates  for  liberty,  he  was  by  the  Provincial  Congress, 
commissioned  as  a  brigadier  general. 

During  the  siege  of  Boston,  he  was  in  commission  as  a  ge- 
neral officer.  When  general  Washington  contemplated  an 
attack  on  Boston,  general  Heath  was  offered  the  command 
of  a  division,  but  he  declined  it. 

In  August,  1776,  he  was  by  Congress  promoted  to  the  rank  of 
major  general  in  the  continental  army,  and  in  the  campaign 
of  that  year  he  commanded  a  division  near  the  enemy's  lines 
at  King's  bridge  and  Morrisania.  During  the  year  1 777, 
and  till  November,  1778,  he  was  the  commanding  officer  of 
the  eastern  department,  and  his  head  quarters  were  at  Bos- 
ton. Here  devolved  on  him  the  very  arduous  duties  of  su- 
perintendent of  the  convention  troops,  captured  with  general 
Burgoyne  at  Saratoga,  which  were  quartered  at  Cambridge. 
This  station  required  a  character  of  uncommon  firmness  and 
decision,  and  had  General  Heath  been  destitute  of  these  qua- 
lities, he  would  have  been  subjected  to  the  grossest  impositions 
and  indignities,  from  the  haughty  general*  Burgoyne  and 

28 


225  HEATH. 

Phillips,  and  the  perverse  temper  of  their  soldiery.  Thes* 
officers,  lofty  in  spirit,  and  of  high  rank  and  character,  now 
chagrined  by  a  state  of  captivity,  occasioned  to  general  Heath 
a  series  of  difficulties  and  vexations.  He  soon,  however,  con- 
-vinced  them  that  he  was  neither  deficient  in  spirit,  nor  ignor- 
ant of  his  duty  as  a  military  commander.  In  all  his  proceed- 
ings with  these  turbulent  captives,  he  supported  the  authority 
of  congress  and  the  honor  and  dignity  of  the  command  repos- 
ed in  him;  and  he  received  the  entire  approbation  of  that  ho- 
norable body,  to  whom  he  was  amenable  for  his  conduct.  In 
the  most  interesting  and  critical  circumstances  in  which  a  ge- 
neral could  possibly  be  placed,  he  uniformly  exhibited  a  pru- 
dence, animation,  decision  and  firmness,  which  ha\e  done  him 
honor,  and  fully  justified  the  confidence  reposed  in  him. 

The  cordial  and  most  explicit  approbation  of  the  army,  the 
inhabitants  of  this  town,  the  army  and  navy  of  our  illustrious" 
ally,  the  government  of  this  state,  his  Excellency  the  com- 
mander in  chief,  and  of  congress,  added  to  the  consciousness 
of  his  having  discharged  his  trust  with  fidelity,  must  in  a  great 
measure  have  alleviated  the  fatigues  incident  to  his  arduous 
station,  and  compensated  the  loss  of  his  health  so  much  im- 
paired by  an  incessant  attention  to  business.  In  June,  1779, 
general  Heath  was  elected  by  congress  a  commissioner  ofths 
board  of  war,  with  a  salary  of  four  thousand  dollars  per  an- 
num, and  allowed  to  retain  his  rank  in  the  army,  which  he 
declined,  preferring  to  participate  in  active  operations  in  the 
field. 

In  the  summer  of  1780,  he  was  directed  by  the  commander 
in  chief  to  repair  to  Rhode  Island  to  make  arrangements  for 
the  reception  of  the  French  fleet  and  army  which  were  expect- 
ed soon  to  arrive.  In  his  interview  with  the  Count  Rocham- 
beau,  and  other  officers  of  the  French  army  and  navy,  he  prof- 
fered his  friendly  civilities  and  contributed  all  in  his  power 
to  their  comfortable  accommodation,  which  was  productive 
of  a  mutual  and  lasting  friendship  between  them.  Indefatiga- 
ble attention  to  duty  in  the  various  stations  assigned  him,  was 
a  prominent  trait  in  his  character.  In  May,  1781,  general 
Heath  was  directed  by  the  commander  in  chief  to  repair  to  the 
New  England  states  to  represent  to  their  repective  executives 
the  distressing  condition  of  our  army,  and  to  solicit  a  speedy 
supply  of  provisions  and  clothing,  in  which  he  was  successful. 
As  senior  major  general,  he  was  more  than  once  commander 
of  the  right  wing  of  our  army,  and  during  the  absence  of  the 
commander  in  chief,  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown,  he  was  en- 
trusted with  the  command  of  the  main  army  posted  at  the  high- 
lands and  vicinity,  to  guard  the  important  works  on  the  Hud- 
son.    On  the  24th  of  June,  1784,  hostilities  having  ceased 


HENRY.  £27 

between  the  two  armies,  general  Washington  addressed  a  let- 
ter to  general  Heath,  expressing  his  thanks  for  his  meritorious 
services,  and  his  real  affection  and  esteem,  and  on  the  same 
Jay  they  took  their  final  leave. 

General  Heath  was  corpulent  and  hald  headed,  which  occa- 
sioned some  of  the  French  officers  to  observe  that  he  resem- 
bled tlie  marquis  of  Granby.  and  lie  appeared  always  pleased 
with  the  comparison.  As  an  officer  of  parade  and  discipline, 
lie  was  respectable. 

Immediately  after  the  close  of  the  war.  general  Heath  was 
called  again  into  public  service  in  civil  life,  and  continued  to 
hold  a  seat,  either  in  the  legislature,  or  in  the  council  of 
Massachusetts,  till  the  county  of  Norfolk  was  established,  in 
1793.  when  he  was  appointed  by  governor  Hancock,  judge 
of  probate,  and  a  justice  of  the  court  of  common  pleas,  the 
latter  office  he  did  not  accept.  In  the  former  he  continued  till 
his  death.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  state  convention 
which  ratified  the  federal  constitution.  All  these  offices  he 
discharged  with  assiduity,  affability  and  impartiality,  and  to 
the  general  satisfaction  of  his  fellow  citizens. 

He  had  formed  his  opinion  of  human  nature  on  the  most  fa- 
vourable examples,  and  to  the  close  of  life  had  a  strong  re- 
gard to  popular  opinion.  He  repeatedly  allowed  himself  to 
be  held  up  and  voted  for.  for  the  office  of  governor  and  lieu- 
tenant governor  of  the  commonwealth,  and  at  one  period,  had. 
no  doubt,  a  willingness  and  desire  to  hold  one  of  these  offices. 

In  1806.  he  was  elected  lieutenant  governor,  but  he  refused 
to  serve.  He  was  more  than  once  an  elector  of  president 
and  vice  president  of  the  United  States. 

He  died  at  Roxbury,  Massachusetts.  January  24,  1814, 
aged  77  years. 

HENRY.  Patrick,  governor  of  Virginia,  and  a  most  elo- 
quent and  distinguished  orator,  took  an  early  and  active  pari 
in  support  of  the  rights  of  his  country,  against  the  tyranny  of 
Great  Britain.  He  was  born  at  Studley.  in  the  county  of 
Hanover,  and  state  ot  Virginia,  on  the.  -29111  May,  17S6. 
He  descended  from  respectable  Scotch  ancestry,  in  the  pater- 
nal line:  and  his  mother  was  a  native  of  the  county  in  which 
he  was  born.  On  the  maternal  side,  at  least,  he  seems  to  have 
descended  from  a  rhetorical  race. 

Her  brother  William,  the  father  of  the  present  Judge  Wins- 
am,  is  said  to  have  been  highly  endowed  with  that  peculiar 
cast  of  eloquence,  for  which  Mr.  Henry  became,  afterwards, 
so  justly  celebrated.  Of  this  gentleman  I  have  an  anecdote 
from  a  correspondent,  which  I  shall  give  in  his  own  words. — 
'I  have  often  beard  my  father,  who  was  intimately  acquainted 
with  this  William  Winston,  say,  that  he  was  the  greatest  ora- 


223  HENRY. 

tor  whom  he  ever  heard,  Patrick  Henry  excepted;  that  during 
the  last  French  and  Indian  war,  and  soon  after  Braddock's 
defeat,  when  the  militia  were  marched  to  the  frontiers  of  Vir- 
ginia, against  the  enemy,  this  Mr.  Winston  was  the  lieutenant 
of  a  company;  that  the  men,  who  were  indifferently  clothed, 
without  tents,  and  exposed  to  the  rigour  and  inclemency  of 
the  weather,  discovered  great  aversion  to  the  service,  and 
were  anxious  and  even  clamorous  to  return  to  their  families  ; 
when  this  William  Winston,  mounting  a  stump,  (the  common 
rostrum  of  the  field  orators  in  Virginia,)  addressed  them  with 
such  keenness  of  invective,  and  declaimed  with  such  force  ot 
eloquence,  on  liberty  and  patriotism,  that  when  he  concluded, 
the  general  cry  was,  *  let  us  march  on;  lead  us  against  the 
enemy;'  and  they  were  now  willing,  nay,  anxious  to  encounter 
all  those  difficulties  and  dangers,  which,  but  a  few  moments 
before,  had  almost  produced  a  mutiny.' 

In  childhood  and  youth,  Patrick  Henry,  whose  name  ren- 
ders titles  superfluous,  gave  no  presages  of  his  future  great- 
ness. He  learned  to  read  and  write,  reluctantly;  made  some 
small  progress  in  arithmetic;  acquired  a  superficial  knowledge 
of  the  Latin  language;  and  made  a  considerable  proficiency 
in  the  mathematics,  the  only  branch  of  education  for  which 
he  discovered,  in  his  youth,  the  slightest  predilection.  The 
whole  soul  of  his  youth  was  bound  up  in  the  sports  of  the  field. 
His  idleness  was  absolutely  incurable;  and,  of  course,  he 
proved  a  truant  lad,  who  could  sit  all  day  on  a  bridge,  wait- 
ing for  a  good  bite,  or  even,  'one  glorious  nibble.'  The  un- 
happy effects  of  this  idleness  were  lasting  as  his  life;  and  the 
biographer  very  properly  cautions  his  youthful  readers  against 
following  this  bad  example. 

His  propensity  to  observe  and  comment  upon  the  human 
character,  was  the  only  circumstance,  which  distinguished 
him,  advantageously,  from  his  youthful  companions. 

From  what  has  been  already  stated,  it  will  be  seen,  how 
little  education  had  to  do  with  the  formation  of  this  great 
man's  mind.  He  was,  indeed,  a  mere  child  of  nature, 
and  nature  seems  to  have  been  too  proud  and  too  jealous 
of  her  work,  to  permit  it  to  be  touched  by  the  hand  of 
art.  She  gave  him  Shakspcarc's  genius,  and  bade  him,  like 
Shakspeare,  to  depend  on  that  alone.  Let  not  the  youthful 
reader,  however,  deduce,  from  the  example  of  Mr.  Henry,  an 
argument  in  favour  of  indolence  and  the  contempt  of  study. 
Let  him  remember  that  the  powers  which  surmounted  the  dis- 
advantage of  those  early  habits,  were  such  as  xcry  rarely  ap- 
pear upon  this  earth.  Let  him  remember,  too,  how  long  the 
genius,  even  of  Mr.  Henry,  was  kept  down  and  hidden  from 
the  public  view,  by  the  sorcery  of  those  pernicious  habits  ; 


HENRY.  £29 

through  what  years  of  poverty  and  wretchedness  they  doomed 
him  to  struggle;  and,  let  him  remember,  that,  at  length, 
when  in  the  zenith  of  his  glory,  Mr.  Henry,  himself,  had 
frequent  occasions  to  deplore  the  consequences  of  his  early 
neglect  of  literature,  and  to  bewail  '  the  ghosts  of  his  departed 
hours.' 

At  the  age  of  fifteen  years,  young  Henry  was  placed  behind 
the  counter  of  a  merchant  in  the  country;  and  at  sixteen  his 
father  set  him  up  in  trade,  in  partnership  with  his  brother 
William.  Through  laziness,  the  love  of  music,  the  charms 
of  the  chase,  and  a  readiness  to  trust  every  one,  the  firm  was 
soon  reduced  to  bankruptcy.  The  only  advantage  which  re- 
sulted from  his  short  continuance  in  mercantile  business,  was 
an  opportunity  to  study  human  characters. 

At  eighteen,  Mr.  Henry  married  the  daughter  of  an  honest 
farmer,  and  undertook  to  cultivate  a  few  acres  for  himself. — ■ 
His  only  delights,  at  this  time,  were  those  which  flow  from  the 
endearing  relations  of  conjugal  life.  His  want  of  agricul- 
tural skill,  and  his  unconquerable  aversion  to  every  species 
of  systematic  labour,  terminated  his  career  as  a  planter,  in 
the  short  space  of  two  years.  Again  he  had  recourse  to  mer- 
chandise, and  again  failed  in  business.  Every  atom  of  his 
property  was  now  gone,  his  friends  were  unable  to  assist  him 
any  further;  he  had  tried  every  means  of  support,  of  which 
he  thought  himself  capable,  and  every  one  had  failed  ;  ruin 
was  behind  him;  poverty,  debt,  want,  and  famine  before;  and 
as  if  his  cup  of  misery  were  not  already  full  enough,  here 
was  a  suffering  wife  and  children  to  make  it  overflow.  Still 
he  had  a  cheerful  temper,  and  his  passion  was  music,  dancing, 
and  pleasantry.  About  this  time  he  became  fond  of  geography 
and  historical  works  generally.  Livy  was  his  favourite;  and  in 
some  measure,  awakened  the  dormant  powers  of  his  genius.  As 
a  last  effort,  he  determined,  of  his  own  accord,  to  make  a  trial 
of  the  law.  He,  however,  disliked  the  professional  business 
of  an  attorney  at  law,  and  he  seems  to  have  hoped  for  nothing 
more  from  the  profession,  than  a  scanty  subsistence  for  him- 
self and  his  family,  and  his  preparation  was  suited  to  these 
humble  expectations;  for,  to  the  study  of  a  profession,  which 
is  said  to  require  the  lucubrations  of  twenty  years,  Mr.  Hen- 
ry devoted  not  more  than  six  weeks.  On  examination  he  was 
licensed,  rather  through  courtesy,  and  some  expectation  that 
he  would  study,  than  from  any  conviction  which  his  examiners 
had  of  his  present  competence.  At  the  age  of  four  and  twenty 
he  was  admitted  to  the  bar;  and  for  three  years  occupied  the 
back  ground;  during  which  period  the  wants  and  distresses 
of  his  family  were  extreme;  and  he  performed  the  duty  of  an 
assistant  to  his  father-in-law  in  a  tavern. 


230  HENRY. 

In  1764,  he  pursued  his  favourite  amusement  of  hunting, 
with  extreme  ardour;  and  has  been  known  to  hunt  deer,  fre- 
quently for  several  days  together,  carrying  his  provisions  with 
him,  and  at  night  encamping  in  the  woods. 

After  the  hunt  was  over,  he  would  go  from  the  ground  to 
Louisa  court:  clad  in  a  coarse  cloth  coat,  stained  with  all  the 
trophies  of  the  chase,  greasy  leather  breeches  ornamented  in 
the  same  way.  leggings  for  boots,  and  a  pair  of  saddle-bags  on 
his  arm.  Thus  accoutred,  he  would  enter  the  court-house, 
take  up  the  first  of  his  causes  that  chanced  to  be  called ;  and 
if  there  was  any  scope  for  his  peculiar  talent,  throw  his  ad- 
versary into  the  back  ground,  and  astonish  both  court  and 
jury  by  the  powerful  effusions  of  his  natural  eloquence. 

In  the  same  year  he  was  introduced  to  the  gay  and  fashion- 
able circle  at  Williamsburg,  then  the  seat  of  government  for 
the  state,  that  he  might  be  counsel  in  the  case  of  a  contested 
election  ;  but  he  made  no  preparation  for  pleading:  and,  as  we 
might  naturally  suppose,  none  for  appearing  in  a  suitable 
costume.  He  moved  awkwardly  about  in  his  threadbare  and 
course  dress  :  and  while  some  thought  him  a  prodigy,  others 
concluded  him  to  be  an  idiot:  nevertheless,  before  the  commit- 
tee of  elections,  he  delivered  an  argument  which  judge  Tyler, 
judge  Winston,  and  others  pronounced  the  best  they  had  ever 
heard.  In  the  same  year,  it  is  asserted  on  the  authority  of 
Mr.  Jefferson,  that  Mr.  Henry  gave  the  first  impulse  to  the 
ball  of  the  revolution.  He  originated  the  spirit  of  the  revo- 
lution in  Virginia,  unquestionably ;  and  possessed  a  daunt- 
less soul,  exactly  suited  to  the  important  work  he  was  destin- 
ed to  perform. 

In  the  year  1765,  he  was  a  member  of  the  assembly  of  Vir- 
ginia. He  introduced  his  celebrated  resolutions  against  the 
stamp  act,  which  breathed  a  spirit  of  liberty,  and  which  had 
a  tendency  to  rouse  the  people  of  that  commonwealth  in  favour 
of  our  glorious  revolution. 

After  his  death,  there  was  found  among  his  papers,  one 
sealed,  and  thus  endorsed  ;  "  Inclosed  are  the  resolutions 
of  the  Virginia  assembly,  in  1765,  concerning  the  stamp 
act.  Let  my  executors  open  this  paper."  Within  was  found 
the  following  copy  of  the  resolutions,  in  Mr.  Henry's  hand 
writing  : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  first  adventurers  and  Settlers  of  this, 
his  majesty's  colony  and  dominion,  brought  with  them,  and 
transmitted  to  their  posterity,  and  all  other  his  majesty's  sub- 
jects, since  inhabiting  in  this,  his  majesty's  said  colony,  all  the 
privileges,  franchises,  and  immunities,  that  have  at  any  time 
been  held,  enjoyed,  and  possessed.,  by  the  people  of  Great 
Britain. 


HENRY.  2S1 

"Resolved,  That  by  two  royal  charters,  granted  by  king 
James  the  first,  the  colonists  aforesaid,  are  declared  entitled 
to  all  the  privileges,  liberties,  and  immunities,  of  denizens 
and  natural  born  subjects,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  as  if 
they  had  been  abiding  and  born  within  the  realm  of  England. 

"Resolved,  That  the  taxation  of  the  people  by  themselves, 
or  by  persons  chosen  by  themselves  to  represent  them,  who 
can  only  know  what  taxes  the  people  are  able  to  bear,  and 
the  easiest  mode  of  raising  them,  and  are  equally  affected  by 
such  taxes  themselves,  is  the  distinguishing  characteristic  of 
British  freedom,  and  without  which  the  ancient  constitution 
cannot  subsist. 

"Resolved,  That  his  majesty's  liege  people  of  this  most  an- 
cient colony,  have  interruptedly  enjoyed  the  right  of  being 
thus  governed  by  their  own  assembly,  in  the  article  of  their 
taxes  and  internal  police,  and  that  the  same  hath  never  been 
forfeited,  or  any  other  way  given  up,  but  hath  been  con- 
stantly recognized  by  the  king  and  people  of  Great  Britain. 

"Resolved,  therefore,  That  the  general  assembly  of  this  co- 
lony have  the  sole  right  and  power  to  lay  taxes  and  imposi- 
lions  upon  the  inhabitants  of  this  colony;  and  that  every  at- 
tempt to  vest  such  power  in  any  person  or  persons  whatso- 
ever, other  than  the  general  assembly  aforesaid,  has  a  mani- 
fest tendency  to  destroy  British  as  well  as  American  free- 
dom." 

"  On  the  back  of  the  paper  containing  those  resolutions,  is 
the  following  endorsement,  which  is  also  in  the  hand-writing 
of  Mr.  Henry  himself.  'The  within  resolutions  passed  the 
house  of  burgesses  in  May,  1765.  They  formed  the  first  op- 
position to  the  stamp  act,  and  the  scheme  of  taxing  America 
by  the  British  parliament.  All  the  colonies,  either  through 
fear,  or  want  of  opportunity  to  form  an  opposition,  or  from 
influence  of  some  kind  or  other,  had  remained  silent.  I  had 
been,  for  the  first  time,  elected  a  burgess,  a  few  days  before; 
was  young,  inexperienced,  unacquainted  with  the  forms  of  the 
house,  and  the  members  that  composed  it.  Finding  the  men 
of  weight  averse  to  opposition,  and  the  commencement  of  the 
tax  at  hand,  and  that  no  person  was  likely  to  step  forth.  I  de- 
termined to  venture,  and  alone,  unadvised,  and  unassisted,  on 
a  blank  leaf  of  an  old  law  book,  wrote  the  within.  Upon  of- 
fering them  to  the  house,  violent  debates  ensued.  Many  threats 
were  uttered,  and  much  abuse  cast  on  me,  by  the  party  for  sub- 
mission. After  a  long  and  warm  contest,  the  resolutions 
passed  by  a  very  small  majority,  perhaps  of  one  or  two  only. 
The  alarm  spread  throughout  America  with  astonishing 
quickness,  and  the  ministerial  party  were  overwhelmed.  The 
great  point  of  resistance  to  British  taxation  was  universally 


232  HENRY. 

established  in  the  colonies.  This  brought  on  the  war,  which 
finally  separated  the  two  countries,  and  gave  independence  to 
ours.  Whether  this  will  prove  a  blessing  or  a  curse,  w  ill  de- 
pend upon  the  use  our  people  make  of  the  blessings  which  a 
gracious  God  hath  bestowed  on  us.  If  they  are  wise,  they 
will  be  great  and  happy.  If  they  are  of  a  contrary  character, 
they  will  be  miserable.  Righteousness  alone  can  exalt  them 
as  a  nation. 

'Reader!  whoever  thou  art,  remember  this;  and  in  thy 
sphere,  practice  virtue  thyself,  and  encourage  it  in  others. — > 
P.  Henry.' 

Such  is  the  short,  plain,  and  modest  account,  which  Mr. 
Henry  has  left  of  this  transaction. 

Every  American  realized  the  truth  expressed  in  Mr.  Hen- 
ry's resolutions;  but  no  man  beside  himself  boldly  dare  to  ut- 
ter it.  All  wished  for  independence;  and  all  hitherto  trembled 
at  the  thought  of  asserting  it. 

Mr.  Wirt,  in  his  life  of  Henry,  from  which  we  select  this 
sketch,  says,  "the  following  is  Mr.  Jefferson's  account  of  this 
transaction: 

''Mr.  Henry  moved  and  Mr.  Johnston  seconded  these  re- 
solutions successively.  They  were  opposed  by  Messrs.  Ran- 
dolphf  Bland,  Pendleton,  Wythe,  and  all  the  old  members, 
whose  influence  in  the  house  had,  till  then,  been  unbroken. 
They  did  it,  not  from  any  question  of  our  rights,  but  on  the 
ground,  that  the  same  sentiments  had  been,  at  their  preced- 
ing session,  expressed  in  a  more  conciliatory  form,  to  which 
the  answers  were  not  yet  received.  But  torrents  of  sublime 
eldquence  from  Henry,  barked  by  the  solemn  reasoning  of 
Johnson,  prevailed.  The  last,  however,  and  strongest  reso- 
lution, was  carried  but  by  a  single  vote.  The  debate  on  it 
was  most  bloody.  I  was  then  but  a  student,  and  stood  at  the 
door  of  communication  between  the  house  and  the  lobby  (for 
as  yet  there  was  no  gallery)  during  the  whole  debate  and  vote ; 
and  I  well  remember  that,  after  the  numbers  on  the  division 
were  told  and  declared  from  the  chair,  Peyton  Randolph  (the 
attorney  general)  came  out  at  the  door  where  I  w  as  standing? 
and  said  as  he  entered  the  lobby,  'by ,  I  would  have  giv- 
en five  hundred  guineas  for  a  single  vote;'  for  one  vote  would 
have  divided  the  house,  and  Robison  was  in  the  chair,  who  he 
knew  would  have  negatived  the  resolution. 

"By  these  resolutions,  and  his  manner  of  supporting  them, 
Mr.  Henry  took  the  lead  out  of  the  hands  of  those  who  had 
theretofore  guided  the  proceedings  of  the  house  t  that  is  to 
say,  of  Pendleton,  Wythe,  Bland,  Randolph,"  It  was,  in- 
deed, the  measure  which  raised  him  to  the  zenith  of  his  glory. 
He  had  never  before  had  a  subject  which  entirely  matched  his 


HENRY.  233 

genius,  and  was  capable  of  drawing  out  all  the  powers  of  his 
mind.  It  was  remarked  of  him  throughout  his  life,  that  his 
talents  never  failed  to  rise  with  the  ocasion,  and  in  proportion 
to  the  resistance  which  he  had  to  encounter.  The  nicety  of 
the  vote  on  his  last  resolution,  proves  that  this  was  not  a  time 
to  hold  in  reserve  any  part  of  his  forces. 

"  It  was  indeed,  an  alpine  passage,  under  circumstances 
even  more  unpropitious  than  those  of  Hannibal  :  for  he  had 
not  only  to  fight,  hand  to  hand,  the  powerful  party  who  were 
already  in  possession  of  the  heights,  but  at  the  same  instant, 
to  cheer  and  animate  the  timid  band  of  followers,  that  were 
trembling,  fainting,  and  drawing  back,  below  him.  It  was 
an  occasion  that  called  upon  him  to  put  forth  all  his  strength, 
and  he  did  put  it  forth,  in  such  a  manner,  as  man  never  did 
before.  The  cords  of  argument  with  which  his  adversaries 
frequently  flattered  themselves  they  had  bound  him  fast,  be- 
came packthreads  in  his  hands.  He  burst  them  with  as  much 
ease,  as  the  unshorn  Sampson  did  the  bands  of  the  Philistines. 
He  seized  the  pillars  of  the  temple,  shook  them  terribly,  and 
seemed  to  threaten  his  opponents  with  ruin.  It  was  an  inces- 
sant storm  of  lightning  and  thunder,  which  struck  them 
aghast.  The  faint-hearted  gathered  courage  from  his  coun- 
tenance, and  cowards  became  heroes,  while  they  gazed  upon 
^^^Vexploits. 

i*r^  It  was  in  the  midst  of  this  magnificent  debate,  while  he 
Was  descanting  on  the  tyranny  of  the  obnoxious  act,  that  he 
exclaimed,  in  a  voice  of  thunder,  and  with  the  -look  of  a  God, 
Caesar  had  his  Brutus — Charles  the  first,  his  Cromwell — and 
George  the  third — ('Treason,'  cried  the  speaker — '  treason, 
treason,'  echoed  from  every  part  of  the  house.  It  was  one  of 
those  trying  moments  which  is  decisive  of  character.  Henry 
faltered  not  for  an  instant;  but  rising  to  a  loftier  attitude,  and 
fixing  on  the  speaker  an  eye  of  the  most  determined  fire,  he 
finished  his  sentence  with  the  firmest  emphasis)  may  profit  by  i  ^* 
their  example.     If  this  be  treason,  make  the  most  of  it."       -~~*] 

In  August,  1774,  the  Virginia  convention  assembled  in  Wil-  * 
liamsburg,  and  passed  a  series  of  resolutions,  whereby  they 
pledged  themselves  to  make  common  cause  with  the  people  of 
Boston  in  every  extremity.  They  appointed  as.  deputies  to 
Congress,  on  the  part  of  that  colony,  Peyton  Randolph,  Rich- 
ard H.  Lee,  George  Washington,  Richard  Bland,  Patrick 
Henry,  Benjamin  Harrison,  and  Edmund  Pendleton,  who 
were  deputed  to  atteud  the  first  meeting  of  the  colonial  con-* 
gress. 

On  the  4th  September,  1774,  that  venerable  body,  the  old 
continental  congress  of  the  United  States,  (towards  whom 
every  American  heart  will  bow  with  pious  homage,  while  the 

30 


234  HENRY. 

name  of  liberty  shall  be  dear  in  our  land)  met  for  the  first 
time  at  Carpenters  Hall  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  Peyton 
Randolph,  of  Virginia,  was  chosen  president,  and  the  house 
was  organized  for  business,  with  all  the  solemnities  of  a  regu- 
lar legislature. 

The  most  eminent  men  of  the  various  colonies  were  now, 
for  the  first  time,  brought  together.     They  were  known  to 
each  other  by  fame;  but  they  were  personally  strangers.  The 
meeting  was  awfully  solemn.     The  object  which  had  called 
them   together   was   of  incalculable  magnitude.        The  li- 
berties of  no  less  than  three  millions  of  people,   with  that  of 
all  their  posterity,  were  staked  on  the  wisdom  and  energy  of 
their  councils.     No  wonder,  then,   at  the  long  and  deep  si- 
lence which  is  said  to  have  followed  upon  their  organization; 
at  the  anxiety  with  which  the  members  looked  around  upon  each 
other;  and  the  reluctance  which  every  individual  felt  to  open 
a  business  so  fearfully  momentous.     In  the  midst  of  this  deep 
and  death-like  silence,  and  just  when  it  was  beginning  to  be- 
come painfully  embarrassing.  Mr.  Henry  arose  slowly,  as  if 
borne  down  by  the  weight  of  the  subject.     After  faltering,  ac- 
cording to  his  habit,  through  a  most  impressive  exordium,  in 
which  he  merely  echoed  back  the  consciousness  of  every  other 
heart,  in  deploring  his  inability  to  do  justice  to  the  occasion, 
he  launched,  gradually,  into  a  recital  of  the  colonial  wrongs. 
Rising,  as  he  advanced,  with  the  grandeur  of  his  subject,  and 
glowing  at  length  with  all  the  majesty  and  expectation  of  the 
occasion,  his  speech  seemed  more  than  that  of  mortal  man- 
Even  those  who  had  heard  him  in  all  his  glory,  in  the  house 
of  burgesses  of  Virginia,  were  astonished  at  the  manner  in 
which  his  talents  seemed  to  swell  and  expand  themselves,  to 
fill  the  vast  theatre  in  which  he  was  now  placed.     There  was 
no  rant;  no  rhapsody  ;  no  labour  of  the  understanding ;  no 
straining  of  the  voice ;  no  confusion  of  the  utterance.     His 
countenance  was  erect ;  his  eye  steady;  his  action  noble  ;  his 
enunciation  clear  and  firm;  his  mind  poised  on  its  centre;  his 
views  of  his  subject  comprehensive  and  great;  and  his  ima- 
gination, confiscating  with  a  magnificence  and  a  variety, 
which  struck  even  that  assembly  with  amazement  and  awe. 
He  sat  down  amidst  murmurs  of  astonishment  and  applause, 
and  as  he  had  been  before  proclaimed  the  greatest  orator  of 
Virginia,  he  was  now  on  every  hand,  admitted  to  be  the  first 
orator  of  America. 

When  Mr.  Henry  returned  from  this  first  congress  to  his 
constituents,  he  was  asked  'whom  bethought  the  greatest  man 
in  congress,'  and  replied,  'if  you  speak  of  eloquence,  Mr. 
Rutledge  of  South  Carolina,  is  by  far  the  greatest  orator;  but 
if  you  speak  of  solid  information  and  sound  judgment,  colo» 


HENRY.  £33 

itel  Washington,  is  unquestionably,  the  greatest  man  on  that 
floor.' 

In  March,  1775,  Mr.  Henry  was  a  member  of  the  conven- 
tion of  delegates  from  the  several  counties  and  corporations 
of  Virginia,  assembled  in  Richmond.  In  this  body,  while  all 
the  other  leading  members  were  still  disposed  to  pursue  only 
milk-and-water  measures,  he  proposed  resolutions  for  embo- 
dying,  arming  and  disciplining,  such  number  of  men,  as 
should  be  sufficient  to  defend  the  colony  against  the  aggres- 
sions of  the  mother  country.  The  resolutions  were  opposed 
as  not  only  rash  in  policy,  but  as  harsh  and  well  nigh  impious 
in  point  of  feeling.  Some  of  the  warmest  patriots  of  the  con- 
vention opposed  them.  Bland,  Harrison,  Pendleton,  &c.  re- 
sisted them  with  all  their  influence  and  abilities.  An  ordi- 
nary man,  in  Mr.  Henry's  situation,  would  have  been  glad  to 
compound  with  the  displeasure  of  the  house,  by  being  permit- 
ted to  withdraw  his  resolutions  in  silence. 

"Not  so,  Mr.  Henry.  His  was  a  spirit  fitted  to  raise  the 
whirlwind,  as  well  as  to  ride  in,  and  direct  it.  His  was  that 
comprehensive  view,  that  unerring  prescience,  that  perfect 
command  over  the  actions  of  men,  which  qualified  him  not 
merely  to  guide,  but  almost  to  create  the  destinies  of  nations. 

"  He  rose  at  this  time  with  a  majesty  unusual  to  him  in  an 

ordium,  and  with  all  that  self-possession  by  which  he  was  so 
invariably  distinguished.  '  No  man,'  he  said,  i  thought  more 
highly  than  he  did  of  the  patriotism,  as  well  as  abilities,  of 
the  very  worthy  gentlemen  who  had  just  addressed  the  house. 
But  different  men  often  saw  the  same  subject  in  different 
lights:  and,  therefore,  he  hoped  it  would  not  be  thought  dis- 
respectful to  those  gentlemen,  if,  entertaining  as  he  did,  opi- 
nions of  a  character  very  opposite  to  theirs,  he  should  speak 
forth  his  sentiments  freely,  and  without  reserve.  This,  he 
said,  was  no  time  for  ceremony.  The  question  before  the 
house  was  one  of  awful  moment  to  this  country.  For  his  own, 
part,  he  considered  it  as  nothing  less  than  a  question  of  free- 
dom or  slavery.  And  in  proportion  to  the  magnitude  of  the 
subject  ought  to  be  the  freedom  of  the  debate.  It  was  only 
in  this  way  that  they  could  hope  to  arrive  at  truth,  and  fulfil 
the  great  responsibility  which  they  held  to  God  and  their  coun- 
try. Should  he  keep  back  his  opinions  at  such  a  time;  through 
fear  of  giving  offence,  he  should  consider  himself  as  guilty  of 
treason  towards  his  country,  and  of  an  act  of  disloyalty  to- 
wards the  majesty  of  Heaven,  which  he  revered  above  all 
„  earthly  kings. 

**  "  Mr.  President,"  said  he,  "it  is  natural  to  man  to  indulge 
in  the  illusions  of  hope.  We  are  apt  to  shut  our  eyes  against 
a  painful  truth;  and  listen  to  the  song  of  that  syren,  till  she 


£3G  PENBY. 

transforms  us  into  beasts.  Is  this,"  he  asked,  "the  part  of 
vise  men,  engaged  in  a  great  and  arduous  struggle  for  liberty? 
Were  we  disposed  to  be  of  the  number  of  those,  who  having 
eyes,  see  not,  and  having  ears,  hear  not,  the  things  which  so 
nearly  concern  their  temporal  salvation?  For  his  part,  what- 
ever anguish  of  spirit  it  might  cost,  he  was  willing  to  know 
the  whole  truth;  to  know  the  worst;  and  to  provide  for  it. 

"  He  had,"  he  said,  "  but  one  lamp  by  which  his  feet  were 
guided  ;  and  that  was  the  lamp  of  experience.  He  knew  of 
no  way  of  judging  of  the  future  but  by  the  past.  And  judg- 
ing by  the  past,  he  wished  to  know  what  there  had  been  in 
the  conduct  of  the  British  ministry,  for  the  last  ten  years,  to 
justify  those  hopes  with  which  gentlemen  had  been  pleased  to 
solace  themselves  and  the  house  ?  Is  it  that  insidious  smile 
with  which  our  petition  has  been  lately  received  ?  Trust  it 
not,  sir ;  it  will  prove  a  snare  to  your  feet.  Suffer  not  your- 
selves  to  be  betrayed  with  a  kiss.  Ask  yourselves  how  this 
gracious  reception  of  our  petition  comports  with  those  war- 
like preparations  which  cover  our  waters  and  darken  our 
land.  Are  fleets  and  armies  necessary  to  a  work  of  love  and 
reconciliation  ?  Have  we  shown  ourselves  so  unwilling  to  be 
reconciled,  that  force  must  be  called  in  to  win  back  our  love? 
Let  us  not  deceive  ourselves,  sir.  These  are  the  implements 
of  war  and  subjugation;  the  last  arguments  to  which  kings 
resort.  I  ask  gentlemen,  sir,  what  means  this  martial  array, 
if  its  purpose  be  not  to  force  us  to  submission  ?  Can  gentle- 
men assign  any  otber  possible  motive  for  it?  Has  Great  Bri- 
tain any  enemy  in  this  quarter  of  the  world,  to  call  for  all 
this  accumulation  of  navies  and  armies?  No,  sir,  she  has 
none.  They  are  meant  for  us:  they  can  be  meant  for  no  other. 
They  arc  sent  over  to  bind  and  rivet  upon  us  those  chains, 
which  the  British  ministry  have  been  so  long  forging.  And 
what  have  we  to  oppose  to  them?  Shall  we  try  argument? — 
Sir,  we  have  been  trying  that  for  the  last  ten  years.  Have 
we  any  thing  new  to  offer  upon  the  subject?  Nothing.  Wc 
have  held  the  subject  up  in  every  light  of  which  it  is  capable  : 
but  it  has  been  all  in  vain.  Shall  wc  resort  to  entreaty  and 
humble  supplication?  What  terms  shall  we  find,  which  have 
not  been  already  exhausted?  Let  us  not,  I  beseech  you,  sir,  de- 
ceive ourselves  longer.  Sir,  we  have  done  every  thing  that 
could  be  done,  to  avert  the  storm  that  is  coming  on.  We  have 
petitioned  ;  we  have  remonstrated ;  we  have  supplicated ;  we 
nave  prostrated  ourselves  before  the  throne,  and  have  implored 
its  interposition  to  arrest  the  tyrannical  hands  of  the  ministry 
and  parliament.  Our  petitions  have  been  slighted;  our  re- 
monstrances have  produced  additional  violence  and  insult; 
pur  supplications  have  been  disregarded ;  and  we  have  bec^ 


HENRY.  237 

spurned,  with  contempt,  from  the  toot  of  the  throne.  In  vain, 
after  these  things,  may  we  indulge  the  fond  hope  of  peace  and 
reconciliation.     There  is  no  longer  any  room  for  hope.     If  we 
wish  to  be  free;  if  we  mean  to  preserve  inviolate  those  inesti- 
mable privileges  for  which  we  have  been  so  long  contending  ; 
if  we  mean  not  basely  to  abandon  the  noble  struggle  in  which 
we  have  been  so  long  engaged,  and  which  we  have  pledged 
ourselves  never  to  abandon  until  the  glorious  object  of  our  con 
test  shall  be  obtained;  we  must  fight!     I  repeat  it,  sir,  we 
must  fight!!     An  appeal  to  arms  and  to  the  God  of  Hostsus 
that  is  left  us! 
They  tell  us,  sir,"  continued  Mr.  Henry,  "that  we  are 
weak;  unable  to  cope  with  so  formidable  an  adversary.     But 
when  shall  we  be  stronger  ?     Will  it  be  the  next  week  or  the 
next  year  ?     Will  it  be  when  we  are  totally  disarmed,   and 
when  a  British  guard  shall  be  stationed  in  every  house?  Shall 
we  gather  strength  by  irresolution  and  inaction?    Shall  we 
acquire  the  means  of  effectual  resistance  by  lying  supinely  on 
our  backs,  and  hugging  the  delusive  phantom  of  hope,  un- 
til our  enemies  shall  have  bound  us  hand  and  foot  ?     Sir,  we 
are  not  weak,  if  we  make  a  proper  use  of  those  means  which 
the  God  of  nature  hath  placed  in  our  power.  Three  millions  of 
people  armed  in  the  holy  cause  of  liberty,  and  in  such  a  country 
as  that  which  we  possess,  are  invincible  by  any  force  which 
our  enemy  can  send  against  us.  Besides,  sir,  we  shall  not  fight 
our  battles  alone.     There  is  a  just  God  who  presides  over  the 
destinies  of  nations  ;  and  who  will  raise  up  friends  to  fight  our 
battles  for  us.     The  battle,  sir,  is  not  to  the  strong  alone  :  it 
is  to  the  vigilant,  the  active,  the  brave.     Besides,  sir,  we  have 
no  election.     If  we  were  base  enough  to  desire  it,  it  is  now  too 
late  to  retire  from  the  contest.     There  is  no  retreat,  but  in 
submission  and  slavery  !     Our  chains  are  forged  !     Their 
clanking  may  be  heard  on  the  plains  of  Boston  !    The  war  is 
inevitable  ;  and  let  it  come  !  !  I  repeat  it,  sir,  let  it  come  !  !  ! 
/""^  "It  is  in  vain,  sir,  to  extenuate  the  matter.     Gentlemen 
(     may  cry  peace,  peace  ;  but  there  is  no  peace.    The  war  is  ac- 
\    tually  begun  !     The  next  gale  that  sweeps  from  the  noth.  will 
bring  to  our  ears  the  clash  of  resounding  arms  !  Our  brethren 
I    are  already  in  the  field  !    Why  stand  we  here  idle  ?    What  is 
it  that  gentlemen  wish  ?     What  would  they  have  ?     Is  life  so 
dear,  or  peace  so  sweet,  as  to  be  purchased  at  the  price  of 
chains  and  slavery  ?  Forbid  it,  Almighty  God  !  !    I  know  not. 
what  course  others  may  take;  but  as  for  me,"  cried  he,  with 
both  his  arms  extended  aloft,  his  brows  knit,  every  feature 
marked  with  the  resolute  purpose  of  his  soul,  and  his  voice 
\    swelled  to  its  boldest  note  of  exclamation,  "give  me  liberty, 
\^or  give  me  death !" 


23S  HENRY. 

"He  took  his  seat.  No  murmur  of  applause  was  heard. 
The  effect  was  too  deep.  After  the  trance  of  a  moment,  several 
members  started  from  their  seats.  The  cry,  "to  arms,"  seem- 
ed to  quiver  on  every  lip,  and  gleam  from  every  eye  !  Rich- 
ard Henry  Lee  arose  and  supported  Mr.  Henry,  with  his  usual 
spirit  and  elegance.  But  his  melody  was  lost  amidst  the 
agitations  of  that  ocean,  which  the  master  spirit  of  the  storm 
had  lifted  up  on  high.  That  supernatural  voice  still  sounded 
in  their  ears  and  shivered  along  their  arteries.  They  heard  in 
every  pause  the  cry  of  liberty  or  death.  They  became  impa- 
tient of  speech  ;  their  souls  were  on  fire  for  action." 

The  resolutions  were  adopted,  and  Patrick  Henry,  Richard 
Henry  Lee,  Robert  C.  Nicholas,  Benjamin  Harrison,  Lemuel 
Riddick,  George  Washington,  Adam  Stevens,  Andrew  Lewis, 
"William  Christman,  Edmund  Pendleton,  Thomas  Jefferson, 
and  Isaac  Zane,  Esquires,  were  appointed  a  committee  to  pre- 
pare the  plan  called  for  by  the  resolutions. 

In  April,  1775,  after  lord  Dunmorehad  conveyed  on  board 
a  ship,  a  part  of  the  powder  from  the  magazine  of  Williams- 
burg, Mr.  Henry  distinguished  himself  by  assembling  the  in- 
dependent companies  of  Hanover  and  King  William  counties, 
and  directing  them  towards  Williamsburg,  with  the  avowed 
design  of  obtaining  payment  for  the  powder,  or  of  compelling 
its  restitution.  The  object  was  effected,  for  the  king's  receiv- 
er general  gave  a  bill  for  the  value  of  the  property.  The  go- 
vernor immediately  fortified  his  palace,  and  issued  a  pro- 
clamation, charging  those  who  had  procured  the  bill  with  re- 
bellious practices.  This  only  occasioned  a  number  of  county 
meetings,  which  applauded  the  conduct  of  Mr.  Henry,  and 
expressed  a  determination  to  protect  him.  In  August,  1775, 
when  anew  choice  of  deputies  to  congress  was  made,  he  was 
not  re-elected,  for  his  services  were  now  demanded  more  ex- 
clusively in  his  own  state.  After  the  departure  of  lord  Dun- 
more,  he  was  chosen  the  first  governor  in  June,  1776,  and  he 
held  this  office  several  succeeding  years,  bending  all  his  ex- 
ertions to  promote  the  freedom  and  independence  of  his  coun 
try. 

In  June,  1777,  and  again  in  1778,  he  was  unanimously  re- 
elected governor;  but  he  declined  the  honour.  In  1780,  we 
find  him  again  in  the  assembly,  and  one  of  the  most  active 
members  of  the  house. 

In  1788,  he  was  a  member  of  the  convention  of  the  state  of 
Virginia,  which  was  appointed  to  consider  the  constitution  of 
the  United  States;  and  he  exerted  all  the  force  of  his  masterly 
eloquence,  day  after  day,  to. prevent  its  adoption.  He  con- 
tended that  changes  were  dangerous  to  liberty;  that  the  old 
confederation  had  carried  us  through  the  war,  and  secured  our 


HENRY.  239 

independence,  and  needed  only  amendment;  that  the  proposed 
was  a  consolidated  government,  in  which  the  sovereignty  of 
the  states  would  be  lost,  and  all  pretensions  to  rights  and  pri- 
vileges would  be  rendered  insecure.  He  offered  a  resolution, 
containing  a  bill  of  rights  and  amendments,  which,  however, 
was  not  accepted. 

"  The  convention  had  been  attended  from  its  commencement 
by  a  vast  concourse  of  citizens,  of  all  ages  and  conditions.— 
The  interest  so  universally  felt  in  the  question  itself,  and  not 
less  the  transcendant  talents  which  were  engaged  in  its  dis- 
cussion, presented  such  attractions  as  could  not  be  resisted. 
b  "  Towards  the  close  of  the  session,  an  incident  occurred  of 
a  character  so  extraordinary  as  to  deserve  particular  notice. 
The  question  of  adoption  or  rejection  was  now  approaching. 
The  decision  was  still  uncertain,  and  every  mind  and  every 
heart  was  filled  with  anxiety.  Mr.  Henry  partook  most  deeply 
of  this  feeling;  and  while  engaged,  as  it  were,  in  his  last  ef- 
fort, availed  himself  of  the  strong  sensation  which  he  knew  to 
pervade  the  house,  and  made  an  appeal  to  it  which,  in  point  of 
sublimity,  has  never  been  surpassed  in  any  age  or  country  in 
the  world.  After  describing,  in  accents  which  spoke  to  the 
soul,  and  to  which  every  other  bosom  deeply  responded,  the 
awful  immensity  of  the  question,  to  the  present  and  future  ge- 
nerations, and  the  throbbing  apprehensions  with  which  he 
looked  to  the  issue,  he  passed  from  the  house  and  from  the 
earth,  and  looking,  as  he  said,  '  beyond  that  horizon  which 
binds  mortal  eyes,'  he  pointed,  with  a  countenance  and  action 
that  made  the  blood  run  back  upon  the  aching  heart,  to  those 
celestial  beings,  who  were  hovering  over  the  scene,  and  wait- 
ing with  anxiety  for  a  decision  which  involved  the  happiness 
or  misery  of  more  than  half  the  human  race.  To  those  beings; 
with  the  same  thrilling  look  and  action;  he  had  just  address* 
ed  an  invocation,  that  made  every  nerve  shudder  with  super- 
natural horror;  when,  lo!  a  storm  at  that  instant  arose,  which 
shook  the  whole  building,  and  the  spirits  whom  he  had  called, 
seemed  to  have  come  at  his  bidding!  Nor  did  his  eloquence, 
or  the  storm  immediately  cease;  but  availing  himself  of  the 
incident,  with  a  master's  art,  he  seemed  to  mix  in  the  fight  of 
his  sethereal  auxiliaries,  and  'rising  on  the  wings  of  the  tem- 
pest, to  seize  upon  the  artillery  of  heaven,  and  direct  its 
fiercest  thunders  against  the  heads  of  his  adversaries.'  The 
scene  became  insupportable;  and  the  house  rose,  without  the* 
formality  of  adjournment,  the  members  rushing  from  their 
seats,  with  precipitation  and  confusion." 

The  constitution  was  adopted  by  a  small  majority.  Mr. 
Henry's  bill  of  rights,  and  his  amendments,  were  then  ac- 
cepted, and  directed  to  be  transmitted  to  the  several  states. — 


240  HENRY. 

Some  of  these  amendments  have  been  ingrafted  into  the  fede- 
ral constitution. 

"The  case  of  John  Hook  is  worthy  of  insertion.  Hook  was 
a  Scotchman,  a  man  of  wealth,  and  suspected  of  being  un- 
friendly to  the  American  cause.  During  the  distresses  of  the 
American  army,  consequent  on  the  joint  invasion  of  Corn- 
wallis  and  Phillips  in  1781,  a  Mr  Venable,  an  army  commis- 
sary, had  taken  two  of  Hook's  steers  for  the  use  of  the  troops. 
The  act  had  not  been  strictly  legal ;  and  on  the  establishment 
of  peace,  Hook,  under  the  advice  of  Mr  Cowan,  a  gentleman 
of  some  distinction  in  the  law,  thought  proper  to  bring  an  ac- 
tion of  trespass  against  Mr  Venable,  in  the  district  court  of 
New  London.  Henry  appeared  for  the  defendant,  and  is  said  to 
have  disported  himself  in  this  cause  to  the  infinite  enjoyment 
of  his  hearers,  the  unfortunate  Hook  always  excepted.  After 
Mr  Henry  became  animated  in  the  cause,  he  appeared  to  have 
complete  controul  over  the  passions  of  his  audience :  at  one 
time  he  excited  their  indignation  against  Hook :  vengeance 
was  visible  in  every  countenance:  again,  when  he  chose  to  re- 
lax and  ridicule  him,  the  whole  audience  was  in  a  roar  of 
laughter.  He  painted  the  distresses  of  the  American  army, 
exposed  almost,  naked  to  the  rigour  of  a  winter's  sky,  and 
marking  the  frozen  ground  over  which  they  marched,  with 
the  blood  of  their  unshod  feet ;  where  was  the  man,  he  said, 
who  has  an  American  heart  in  his  bosom,  who  would  not  have 
thrown  open  his  fields,  his  barns,  his  cellars,  the  doors  of  his 
house,  the  portals  of  his  breast,  to  have  received  with  open 
Arms,  the  meanest  soldier  in  that  little  band  of  famished  pa- 
triots ?  Where  is  the  man  ?  There  he  stands  ;  but  whether  the 
heart  of  an  American  beats  in  his  bosom,  you  gentlemen,  are 
to  judge.  He  then  carried  the  jury,  by  the  powers  of  his  ima- 
gination, to  the  plains  around  York,  the  surrender  of  which 
had  followed  shortly  after  the  act  complained  of :  he  depicted 
the  surrender  in  the  most  glowing  and  noble  colours  of  his 
eloquence.  The  audience  saw  before  their  eyes  the  humilia- 
tion and  dejection  of  the  British,  as  they  marched  out  of  their 
trenches  ;  they  saw  the  triumph  which  lighted  up  every  patri- 
otic face,  and  the  shouts  of  victory,  and  the  cry  of  Washing- 
ton and  liberty,  as  it  rung  and  echoed  through  the  American 
ranks,  and  was  reverberated  from  the  hills  and  shores  of  the 
neighbouring  river;  but,  hark!  what  notes  of  discord  arc 
these  which  disturb  the  general  joy,  and  silence  the  acclama- 
tions of  victory;  they  are  the  notes  of  John  Hook,  hoarsely 
bawling  through  the  American  camp,  beef.'  beef  J  beef! 

The  whole  audience  were  convulsed:  a  particular  incident 
will  give  a  better  idea  of  the  effect,  than  any  general  descrip- 
tion.    The  clerk  of  the  court,  unable  to  command  himself, 


HENRY.  241 

and  unwilling  to  commit  any  breach  of  decorum  in  his  place, 
rushed  out  of  the  courthouse,  and  threw  himself  on  the  grass, 
in  tlie  most  violent  paroxysm  of  laughter,  where  he  was  roll- 
ing, when  Hook,  with  very  different  feelings,  came  out  for  re- 
lief, into  the  yard  also.  The  cause  was  decided  almost  by 
acclamation.  The  jury  retired  for  form  sake,  and  instantly 
returned  with  a  verdict  for  the  defendant.  Nor  did  the  effect 
of  Mr.  Henry's  speech  stop  here.  The  people  were  so  highly 
excited  by  the  tory  audacity  of  such  a  suit,  that  Hook  began, 
to  hear  around  him  a  cry  more  terrible  than  that  of  beef:  it 
was  the  cry  of  tar  and  feathers:  from  the  application  of  which, 
it  is  said,  that  nothing  saved  him  but  a  precipitate  flight  and 
the  speed  of  his  horse." 

In  the  two  remaining  years  he  continued  a  memher  of  the 
assembly.  In  the  spring  of  1791,  he  declined  a  re-election, 
with  the  purpose  of  bidding  a  final  adieu  to  public  life.  In 
August.  1795,  he  was  nominated  by  president  Washington,  as 
secretary  of  state,  but  considerations  of  a  private  nature  in- 
duced him  to  decline  the  honorable  trust.  In  November,  1796, 
he  was  again  elected  governor  of  Virginia,  and  this  office  al- 
so he  almost  immediately  resigned.  In  the  year  1799,  he  was 
appointed  by  president  Adams,  as  an  envoy  to  France,  with 
Messrs.  Ellsworth  and  Murray;  this  he  also  declined  in  con- 
sequence of  a  severe  indisposition,  to  which  he  was  then  sub- 
ject, and  of  his  advanced  age  and  increasing  debility.  Gov- 
ernor Davie,  of  North  Carolina,  was  appointed  in  his  place. 
He  lived  but  a  short  time  after  this  testimony  of  the  respect 
in  which  his  talents  and  patriotism  were  held. 

The  disease  which  had  been  preying  upon  him  for  two  years, 
nowr  hastened  to  its  crisis.  He  died  on  the  6th  of  June,  1799, 
in  the  62d  year  of  his  age. 

''Thus  lived,  and  thus  died,  the  celebrated  Patrick  Henry,, 
of  Virginia;  a  man  who  justly  deserves  to  be  ranked  among 
the  highest  ornaments,  and  the  noblest  benefactors  of  his  coun- 
try. In  his  habits  of  living,  he  was  remarkably  temperate 
and  frugal.  He  seldom  drank  any  tiling  but  w  ater.  His  mo- 
rals were  strict.  As  a  husband,  a  father,  a  master,  he  had 
no  superior.  He  was  kind  and  hospitable  to  the  stranger, 
and  most  friendly  and  accommodating  to  his  neighbors." 

The  following  affectionate  tribute  to  the  memory  of  Henry, 
appeared  in  the  Virginia  papers,  immediately  after  his  death: 

*'  Mourn,  Virginia,  mourn;  your  Henry  is  gone.  Ye  friends 
to  liberty  in  every  clime,  drop  a  tear.  No  more  will  his  so- 
cial feelings  spread  delight  through  his  happy  house.  No  more 
will  his  edifying  example  dictate  to  his  numerous  offspring  the 
s  wetness  of  virtue,  and  the  majesty  of  patriotism.  No  more 
will  his  sage  advice,  guided  by  zeal  for  the  common  happi- 


24S!  HESTON. 

ness,  impart  light  ami  utility  to  his  caressing  neighbours.  No 
more  will  he  illuminate  the  public  councils  with  sentiments 
drawn  from  the  cabinet  of  his  own  mind,  ever  directed  to  his 
country's  good,  and  clothed  in  eloquence  sublime,  delightful, 
and  commanding.  Farewell,  first-rate  patriot,  farewell.  As 
Jong  as  our  rivers  flow,  or  mountains  stand,  so  long  will  your 
excellence  and  worth  be  the  theme  of  our  homage  and  endear- 
ment; and  Virginia,  bearing  in  mind  her  loss,  will  say  to  ris- 
ing generations,  imitate  my  Henry."' 

He  left  in  his  will  the  following  testimony  in  favour  of  the 
Christian  religion: 

"  I  have  now  disposed  of  all  my  property  to  my  family ; 
there  is  one  thing  more  I  wish  I  could  give  them,  and  that  is 
the  Christian  religion.  If  they  had  this,  and  I  had  not  given 
them  one  shilling,  they  would  be  rich  ;  and  if  they  had  not 
that,  and  I  had  given  them  all  the  world,  they  would  be  poor." 

HESTON,  Edward,  was  a  brave  officer  in  the  revolution- 
ary army.  At  the  commencement  of  the  war.  he  volunteered 
his  services,  and  received  a  captain's  commission.  About  the 
close  of  the  contest,  he  rose  to  lieutenant  colonel.  He  con- 
tinued actively  engaged  through  all  the  perils  of  that  trying 
coflict.  He  it  was  to  whom  general  Potter,  with  perhaps  his 
whole  brigade,  (then  lying  near  the  gulph)  owed  their  liberty, 
if  not  their  lives.  When  Cornwaliis  left  his  quarters  in  Phi- 
ladelphia, intending  to  take  general  Potter  by  surprise,  he 
marched  at  the  head  of  five  thousand  men,  crossing  the  river 
Schuylkill  during  the  latter  part  of  the  night.  Colonel  Hes- 
ton  being  on  the  alert,  had  lodged  that  night  a  short  distance 
from  home;  about  day-break,  the  enemy  was  discovered  ap- 
proaching near  his  farm,  through  which  they  had  to  pass  by  a 
man  whom  he  had  stationed  there  for  that  purpose;  they  ad- 
vanced, and  took  the  colonel's  horse  with  them.  He  immedi- 
ately conveyed  him  the  intelligence.  The  colonel  then  fled  on 
foot  to  one  of  his  neighbours,  borrowed  a  horse,  and  rode  by 
a  circuitous  route  with  all  possible  speed,  until  he  got  ahead  of 
them.  He  soon  arrived  in  Potter's  camp,  and  found  them 
just  going  to  breakfast.  At  the  request  of  general  Potter, 
who  was  then  in  his  marque,  he  ran  through  and  aroused  the 
whole  camp  to  arms,  and  then  went  to  meet  general  Washing- 
ton, who,  with  his  army,  he  met  crossing  Schuylkill,  at  a 
bridge  which  had  just  been  completed  for  the  purpose.  In  con- 
sequence of  the  intelligence  he  brought,  the  Americans  moved 
their  quarters,  and  the  British  had  the  mortification  to  miss 
their  anticipated  conquest. 

The  next  spring,  the  day  previous  to  the  battle  of  German- 
town,  he  was  one  among  others,  who,  in  consummation  of  a 
plan  laid  down  by  Washington,  to  cut  off  the  enemy's  retreat 


HESTON.  243 

from  Philadelphia,  went  to  the  middle  ferry  and  assisted  in 
cutting  away  the  rope  which  then  extended  across  the  river, 
notwithstanding  there  was  a  continual  fire  kept  up  hy  the  ene- 
my on  the  opposite  bank. 

It  was  his  misfortune  at  one  time  while  reconnoitering  the 
enemy's  movements,  to  be  taken  prisoner  hy  a  troop  of  British 
horse,  one  of  whom  made  a  desperate  blow  with  his  sword, 
designing  to  take  off  his  head  ;  but  striking  higher  than  he  in- 
tended, struck  the.  back  part  of  his  head,  which  occasioned 
the  sword  to  glance,  the  mark  of  which  deadly  weapon  went 
with  him  to  his  grave.  He  surrendered,  and  was  afterwards 
sent  to  Long  Island,  where  he  was  detained  for  seven  months 
as  a  prisoner  of  war. 

After  the  peace  took  place,  he  was  elected  to  the  state  legis- 
lature, then  sitting  in  Philadelphia  :  he  served  in  that  capaci- 
ty for  some  time.  He  then  returned  to  his  farm,  on  which  he 
remained  a  few  years  :  after  which  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  Judge  of  the  court  of  Common  Pleas  for  the  city  and 
County  of  Philadelphia.  He  attended  to  the  duties  of  that  of- 
fice for  the  term  of  four  years,  at  the  end  of  which  his  fellow 
citizens  elected  him  to  the  office  of  senator;  in  the  fulfilment 
of  the  duties  of  which  office  he  spent  eight  successive  winters. 

Whether  in  the  field,  on  the  bench,  or  in  the  cabinet,  dur- 
ing the  whole  of  his  services,  no  man  was,  perhaps,  ever 
more  devotedly  attached  to  the  cause  of  his  country,  and  the 
good  of  mankind. 

For  the  last  twelve  or  fifteen  years  of  his  life,  we  find  him 
actively  engaged  in  the  respectable  pursuits  of  the  practical 
farmer,  enjoying,  to  their  full  extent,  the  three  fold  blessings 
of  health,  peace,  and  competency;  nor  did  he  for  a  moment 
forget  duly  to  appreciate  the  value  of  the  blessed  boon,  which 
in  early  life  had  cost  so  much  blood  and  treasure  to  establish. 
He  used  every  effort  of  which  his  nature  was  capable,  to  trans- 
mit it  inviolate  to  posterity  ;  and  he  was  often  heard  to  say  that 
he  should  be  happy  to  know  every  human  being  as  comforta- 
bly situated  as  himself.  Feeling  and  humane  to  all  parts  of 
animated  nature  ;  benevolent  and  liberal  to  the  poor  and  af- 
flicted ;  whenever  merit  made  intercession,  his  spirit,  not  only 
of  patriotism  but  that  of  philanthrophy,  was  coeval  with  his 
existence. 

He  died  on  the  14th  day  of  March,  1824,  after  a  short  ill- 
ness, at  his  residence  in  Hestonville,  in  the  county  of  Phila- 
delphia, aged  79  years  :  during  about  sixty  of  which  time  he 
occupied  the  above  patrimonial  estate. 

While  he  was  in  the  legislature,  he  took  a  very  active  part 
in  abolishing  slavery  from  his  native  state,  and  he  considered 
it  one  of  the  most  meritorious  acts  of  his  life.     His  ardent  de- 


244  HOLDEN— HOPKINSON. 

sire  had  invariably  been  for  the  final  emancipation  of  all  who 
are  kept  in  bondage,  not  only  in  his  own  beloved  country,  but 
throughout  the  world. 

HOLDEN,  Levi,  was  a  brave  officer  in  the  revolutiona- 
ry war  with  Great  Britain.  In  1776,  he  entered  the  army, 
and  continued  in  it  without  intermission,  until  the  peace  of 
1783.  During  three  years  of  this  period,  he  was  an  officer  in 
general  Washington's  life  guard,  and  lived  in  his  family. 
Captain  Holden  saw  and  experienced  as  much  hard  service, 
as  any  officer  of  his  rank  in  the  army.  He  enjoyed,  in  a  pe- 
culiar manner,  the  confidence  of  the  commander  in  chief.  He 
died  at  Newark,  New  Jersey,  on  the  19th  of  April,  1823,  in 
the  70th  year  of  his  age.  For  more  than  thirty  years  he  re- 
sided in  Newark,  and  always  sustained  the  character  of  a 
worth v  citizen. 

HOPKINSON,  Francis,  Judge  of  the  court  of  Admiral- 
ty, in  Pennsylvania,  was  born  in  Pennsyhania,  in  the  year 
1738.  He  possessed  an  uncommon  share  of  genius,  of  a  pe- 
culiar kind.  He  excelled  in  music  and  poetry;  and  had  some 
knowledge  in  painting.  But  these  arts  did  not  monopolise 
all  the  powers  of  his  mind.  He  was  well  skilled  in  many 
practical  and  useful  sciences,  particularly  in  mathematics  and 
natural  philosophy;  and  he  had  a  general  acquaintance  with 
the  principles  of  anatomy,  chemistry  and  natural  history.— 
But  his  forte  was  humour  and  satire,  in  both  of  which,  he 
was  not  surpassed  by  Lucian,  Swift,  or  Rabelias.  These  ex- 
traordinary powers  were  consecrated  to  the  advancement  of 
the  interests  of  patriotism,  virtue  and  science.  It  would  fill 
many  pages  to  mention  his  numerous  publications  during  the 
revolutionary  war,  all  of  which  were  directed  to  these  im- 
portant objects.  He  began  in  the  year  1775,  with  a  small 
tract,  which  he  entitled,  ''A  Pretty  Story,"  in  which  he  ex- 
posed the  tyranny  of  Great  Britain,  in  America,  by  a  most 
beautiful  allegory,  and  he  concluded  his  contributions  to  his 
country  in  this  way,  with  the  history  of  "The  new  roof,"  a 
performance,  which  for  wit,  humour  and  good  sense,  must 
last  as  long  as  the  citizens  of  America  continue  to  admire, 
and  be  happy  under  the  present  national  government  of  the 
United  States. 

Newspaper  scandal  frequently,  for  months  together,  disap- 
peared or  languished,  after  the  publication  of  several  of  his 
irresistible  satires  upon  that  disgraceful  species  of  writing. 
He  gave  a  currency  to  a  thought  or  a  phrase,  in  these  effu- 
sions from  his  pen.  which  never  failed  to  bear  down  the  spirit 
of  the  times,  and  frequently  to  turn  the  divided  tides  of  party 
rage,  into  one  general  channel  of  ridicule  or  contempt. 

Sometimes  he  employed  his  formidable  powers  of  humour 


HOPKINSON.  245 

and  satire  in  exposing  the  formalities  of  technical  science. — 
lie  thought  much,  and  thought  justly  upon  the  suhject  of  edu- 
cation. He  held  several  of  the  arts  and  sciences,  which  are 
taught  in  colleges,  in  great  contempt.  His  specimen  of  mo- 
dern learning  in  a  tedious  examination,  the  only  ohject  of 
Which  was  to  describe  the  properties  of  a  "Salt  Box,"  pub- 
lished in  the  American  Museum,  for  February,  1787,  will  al- 
ways be  relished  as  a  morsel  of  exquisite  humour. 

Mr.  Hopkinson  possessed  uncommon  talents  for  pleasing  in 
company.  His  wit  was  not  of  that  coarse  kind,  which  was 
calculated  to  set  the  table  in  a  roar.  It  was  mild  and  ele- 
gant, and  infused  cheerfulness  and  a  species  of  delicate  joy, 
rather  than  mirth,  into  the  hearts  of  all  who  heard  it.  His 
empire  over  the  attention  and  passions  of  his  company,  was 
not  purchased  at  the  expense  of  innocence,  A  person  who 
has  passed  many  delightful  hours  in  his  society,  declared, 
with  pleasure,  that  he  never  once  heard  him  use  a  profane 
expression,  nor  utter  a  word,  which  would  have  made  a  lady 
blush,  or  have  clouded  her  countenance  for  a  moment  with  a 
look  of  disapprobation.  It  is  this  species  of  wit  alone,  that 
indicates  a  rich  and  powerful  imagination,  while  that  which 
is  tinctured  with  profanity,  or  indelicacy,  argues  poverty  of 
genius,  inasmuch  as  they  have  both  been  considered  very  pro- 
perly as  the  cheapest  products  of  the  mind. 

Mr.  Hopkinson's  character  for  abilities  and  patriotism, 
procured  him  the  confidence  of  his  countrymen  in  the  most 
trying  exigencies  of  their  affairs.  He  represented  the  state 
of  New  Jersey,  in  congress,  in  the  year  1776,  and  subscribed 
the  ever  memorable  declaration  of  independence.  He  held  an 
appointment  in  the  loan  office  for  several  years,  and  afterwards 
succeeded  George  Ross,  Esquire,  as  judge  of  the  admiralty 
for  the  state  of  Pennsylvania.  In  this  station  he  continued 
till  the  year  1790,  when  he  was  appointed  judge  of  the  dis- 
trict court  in  Pennsylvania,  by  the  illustrious  Washington, 
then  president  of  the  United  States,  and  in  each  of  these  judi- 
cial offices,  he  conducted  himself  with  the  greatest  ability  and 
integrity. 

His  person  was  a  little  below  the  common  size.  His  features 
were  small,  but  extremely  animated.  His  speech  was  quick, 
and  all  his  motions  seemed  to  partake  of  the  unceasing  acti- 
vity and  versatility  of  the  powers  of  his  mind. 

It  only  remains  to  add,  to  this  account  of  Mr.  Hopkinson, 
that  the  various  causes  which  contributed  to  the  establishment 
of  the  independence  of  the  federal  government  of  the  United 
States,  will  not  be fully  traced,  unless  much  is  ascribed  to  the 
irresistible  influence  of  the  ridicule  which  he  poured  forth, 
from  time  to  time,  upon  the  enemies  of  those  great  political 
events. 


246  HOPKINS. 

He  was  an  active  and  useful  member  of  three  great  parties 
which  at  different  times  divided  his  native  state.  He  was  a 
whig,  a  republican,  and  a  federalist,  and  he  lived  to  see  the 
principles  and  the  wishes  of  each  of  those  parties  finally  and 
universally  successful.  Although  his  labours  had  been  re- 
warded with  many  plentiful  harvests  of  well  earned  fame,  yet 
his  death,  to  his  country  and  his  friends,  was  premature.  He 
had  been  subject  to  frequent  attacks  of  the  gout  in  his  head, 
hut  for  some  time  before  his  death,  he  had  enjoyed  a  consi- 
derable respite  from  them.  On  Sunday  evening,  May  8th, 
1791.  he  was  somewhat  indisposed,  and  passed  a  restless 
night.  He  rose  on  Monday  morning,  at  his  usual  hour,  and 
breakfasted  with  iiis  family.  At  seven  o'clock,  he  was  seiz- 
ed with  an  apoplectic  fit,  which  in  two  hours  put  a  period  to 
his  existence,  in  the  fifty-third  year  of  his  age. 

HOPKINS,  Stephen,  a  distinguished  patriot  and  states- 
man, was  a  native  of  that  part  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island, 
which  now  forms  the  town  of  Scituate.  He  was  born  in 
March,  1707.  In  his  youth  he  disclosed  high  promise  of  ta- 
lents, and  soon  became  esteemed  for  his  growing  worth,  his 
early  virtues,  and  his  regular  and  useful  life.  At  an  early 
period  he  was  appointed  a  justice  of  the  peace,  was  employed 
extensively  in  the  business  of  surveying  lands,  and  was  ap- 
pointed to  various  other  offices,  some  of  which  were  responsi- 
ble and  important;  and  he  discharged  the  duties  of  all  with 
great  ability  and  faithfulness,  and  with  equal  advantage  to  his 
own  reputation  and  the  public  interest.  In  1754,  he  was  ap- 
pointed a  member  of  the  board  of  commissioners,  which  as- 
sembled at  Albany,  to  digest  and  concert  apian  of  union  for 
the  colonies.  Shortly  after  this  he  was  chosen  chief  justice 
of  the  superior  court  of  the  colony  of  Rhode  Island;  and  in 
1755,  he  was  elevated  to  the  office  of  chief  magistrate  of  the  co- 
lony, and  continued  in  this  dignified  and  important  station 
about  eight  years,  o\it  not  in  succession.  He  was,  also,  for 
several  years,  chancellor  of  the  College.  At  the  commence- 
ment of  the  difficulties  between  the  colonies  and  Great  Britain, 
governor  Hopkins  took  an  early,  active  and  decided  part  in 
favour  of  the  former.  He  wrote  a  pamphlet  in  support  of  the 
rights  and  claims  of  the  colonies,  called  "  The  Rights  of  the 
Colonies  examined  ;"  which  was  published  by  order  of  the  ge- 
neral assembly.  He  was  a  member  of  the  immortal  congress 
of  '76,  which  declared  these  states,  (then  colonies)  to  be  "  free, 
sovereign,  and  independent;"  and  his  signature  is  attached  to 
this  sublime  and  important  instrument,  which  has  no  example 
in  the  archives  of  nations. 

Governor  Hopkins  was  not  only  distinguished  as  a  states- 
man and  patriot,  but  as  a  man  of  business:  having  been  ex- 


HUMPHREY.  247 

tensively  engaged  in  trade  and  navigation,  and  also  concern- 
ed in  manufactures  and  agriculture.  He  was  a  decided  advo- 
cate, and  a  zealous  supporter,  both  of  civil  and  religious  li- 
berty ;  a  firm  patriot,  a  friend  to  Ms  country,  and  a  patron  of 
useful  public  institutions.  He  possessed  a  sound  and  discri- 
minating mind,  and  a  clear  and  comprehensive  understand- 
ing; was  alike  distinguished  for  his  public  and  private  vir- 
tues, being  an  able  and  faithful  public  officer,  and  an  emi- 
nently useful  private  citizen. 

Governor  Hopkins  finished  his  long,  honourable  and  useful 
life,  on  the  20th  July,  1785,  in  the  seventy-ninth  year  of  his 
age. 

HUMPHREY,  David,  was  born  in  Derby,  Connecticut, 
in  July,  1752.  In  1767,  he  entered  Yale  college,  and  receiv- 
ed his  first  degree  in  1771.  Whilst  in  college,  he  cultivated 
an  attachment  to  the  muses,  and  disclosed  early  evidences  of 
poetical  talent.  During  the  revolutionary  war,  he  entered 
the  army  as  a  captain;  but  at  what  time  is  not  known. 

In  1778,  however,  he  was  aid  to  general  Putnam,  with  the 
rank  of  major.  Two  years  after  this,  he  was  appointed  aid 
to  the  commander  in  chief;  having  been  the  successful  candi- 
date of  four  who  solicited  the  office.  His  competitors  were 
colonel  Talmadge,  general  William  Hull,  and  Roger  Alden. 
He  continued  in  this  situation  during  the  war,  having  the  rank 
of  a  colonel,  and  was  particularly  distinguished  at  the  memo- 
rable siege  of  York;  and  congress,  as  a  respectful  testimony 
of  their  high  estimation  of  his  valour,  fidelity,  and  signal  ser- 
vices on  this  occasion,  voted  him  an  elegant  sword.  At  the 
close  of  the  war,  he  accompanied  general  Washington  to  Vir- 
ginia. In  1784,  he  embarked  for  France,  in  company  with 
the  brave  but  unfortunate  Kosciusko;  having,  on  the  appoint- 
ment of  Mr.  Jefferson  as  ambassador  to  France,  been  nomi- 
nated as  his  secretary.  In  1786,  he  returned  to  America,  and 
revisited  the  scenes  of  his  youth  in  his  native  town.  Soon 
after  his  return,  he  was  elected  by  his  fellow  citizens  to  be 
their  representative  in  the  legislature  of  the  state,  and  conti- 
nued to  be  elected  for  two  years;  when  he  was  appointed  to 
the  command  of  a  regiment  raised  for  the  western  service.-— 
During  the  period  that  he  held  this  office,  he  remained  most 
of  the  time  in  Hartford  ;  and,  with  Hopkins,  Barlow  and 
Trumbull,  assisted  in  the  publication  of  the  Anarch iad.  On 
1he  reduction  of  his  regiment,  he  repaired  to  Mount  Vernon, 
and  continued  with  general  Washington  until  1790,  when  he 
received  an  apointment  to  the  court  of  Portugal.  In  1794, 
he  visited  America,  but  soon  returned  to  Lisbon.  Soon  after 
this,  he  received  an  appointment  to  the  court  of  Spain,  where 
he  continued  until  1802,  when  he  again  returned  to  his  native 


248  HUNTINGTON. 

country.  This  was  the  end  of  his  public  life.  After  lib 
return  to  America,  he  was,  until  his  death,  extensively  engag- 
ed in  various  objects  of  public  utility,  particularly  manufac- 
tures and  agriculture.  He  is  well  known  to  have  been  one  of 
the  first  who  introduced  merino  sheep  into  this  country,  which 
has  greatly  improved  the  quality  of  wool,  and  given  a  strong 
impetus  to  domestic  manufactures.  He  established  an  exten- 
sive woolen  and  cotton  factory  in  his  native  town,  which  gave 
employment  to  a  number  of  persons.  He  also  did  much  for 
the  promotion  of  agriculture,  and  just  previously  to  his  death 
was  making  exertions  to  form  a  society,  for  the  purpose  of 
procuring  a  farm  for  agricultural  experiments. 

Genera?  Humphrey  possessed  considerable  literary  ac- 
quirements, although  he  published  no  work  of  magnitude;  his 
writings  consist  principally  of  various  poetical  productions. 
Of  these,  the  most  important  are.  an  address  to  the  armies  of 
the  United  States;  a  poem  on  the  happiness  of  America;  a 
poem  on  the  future  glory  of  the  United  States;  a  poem  on  the 
industry  of  the  United  States;  a  poem  on  the  love  of  country; 
and  a  poem  on  the  death  of  Washington.  He  wrote  also  a 
memoir  of  general  Putnam,  various  political  tracts,  &c. 

He  died  in  New-Haven,  21st  February,  1818,  aged  sixty- 
six  years. 

HUNTINGTON,  Samuel,  governor  of  Connecticut,  was 
horn  in  Windham,  in  1732,  and  descended  from  an  ancient 
family.  In  his  youth  he  gave  indications  of  an  excellent  un- 
derstanding. Without  the  advantages  of  a  collegial  educa- 
tion he  acquired  a  competent  knowledge  of  the  law,  and  was 
early  admitted  to  the  bar;  soon  after  which  he  settled  in 
Norwich,  and  in  a  few  years  became  eminent  in  his  profes- 
sion. 

••In  1764,  Mr. Huntington  commenced  his  political  labours  as 
a  representative  of  the  town  of  Norwich  in  the  general  assem- 
bly; and  in  the  following  year  received  the  office  of  king's  at- 
torney, which  he  sustained  with  reputation,  until  more  impor- 
tant services  induced  him  to  relinquish  it.  In  1774,  he  was 
appointed  an  associate  judge  in  the  superior  court,  and  in  the 
following  year,  a  member  of  the  council  of  Connecticut. 

"  Being  decided  in  his  opposition  to  the  claims  and  oppres- 
sions of  the  British  parliament,  and  active  in  his  exertions  in 
favour  of  the  colonies,  the  general  assembly  of  Connecticut, 
properly  appreciating  his  talents  and  patriotism,  appointed 
him  a  delegate  to  congress,  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  Octo- 
ber, 1775,  in  conjunction  with  Roger  Sherman,  Oliver  Wol- 
cott,  Titus  Hosmer,  and  William  Williams,  Esquires.  On 
the  16th  of  January,  1776.  he  took  his  scat  in  that  venerable 
assembly,  and  in  the  subsequent  month  of  July,  affixed  hi?. 


HUNTINGTON.  £49 

signature  to  an  instrument  which  has  excited  the  admiration 
of  all  contemporary  nations,  and  will  continue  to  he  cherish- 
ed and  maintained  so  long  as  free  principles  and  free  institu- 
tions arc  permitted  to  exist.  In  this  high  station,  he  devoted 
his  talents  and  time  to  the  public  service,  during  several  suc- 
cessive years.  His  stern  integrity,  and  inflexible  patriotism, 
rendered  him  a  prominent  member,  and  attracted  a  large  share 
of  the  current  business  of  the  house;  as  a  member  of  numerous 
important  committees,  he  acted  with  judgment  and  delibera- 
tion, and  cheerfully  and  perseveringly  dedicated  his  moments 
of  leisure  to  the  general  benefit  of  the  country.  He  zealously 
performed  the  duties  of  this  office  during  the  years  1776,  1777, 
1778,  1779,  and  1780;  when  he  returned  to  Connecticut,  and 
resumed  his  station  upon  the  bench,  and  seat  in  the  council ; 
which  had  been  continued  vacant  until  his  return. 

"  The  estimation  in  which  Mr.  Huntington  was  held  by  his 
fellow  members,  may  be  properly  appreciated  from  his  ap- 
pointment, on  the  28th  of  September,  1779,  to  the  highest 
civil  dignity  of  the  country.  On  the  resignation  of  the  honor- 
able John  Jay,  who  had  been  appointed  minister  plenipoten- 
tiary to  negotiate  a  treaty  of  amity  and  commerce,  and  of  al- 
liance, between  the  United  States  of  America,  and  his  Catho- 
lic majesty,  Mr.  Huntington  was  elected  president  of  con- 
gress: in  1780,  he  was  re-elected  to  the  same  honorable  of- 
fice, which  he  continued  to  fill,  with  dignity  and  impartiality, 
until  the  following  year,  when,  worn  out  by  the  constant 
cares  of  public  life,  and  his  unremitting  application  to  his  of- 
ficial duties,  he  desired  leave  of  absence,  and  intimated  to  the 
house  the  necessity  of  his  returning  home  for  the  re-establish- 
ment of  his  health.  The  nomination  of  his  successor  was, 
however,  postponed  by  congress,  which  appeared  unwilling 
to  dispense  with  the  services  of  a  president,  whose  practical 
worth  had  been  so  long  and  amply  displayed.  After  the  ex- 
piration of  two  months,  Mr.  Huntington,  on  the  sixtli  of  Ju- 
ly, 1781,  more  explicitly  declared  that  his  ill  state  of  health 
would  not  permit  him  to  continue  longer  in  the  exercise  of  the. 
duties  of  that  office,  and  renewed  his  application  for  leave  of 
absence.  His  resignation  was  then  accepted,  and  Samuel 
Johnson,  Esq.  of  North  Carolina,  declining  the  appointment, 
the  honorable  Thomas  M'Kean  was  elevated  to  the  presiden- 
cy. A  few  days  after  his  retirement,  the  thanks  of  congress 
were  presented  to  Mr.  Huntington,  "in  testimony  of  their  ap- 
probation of  his  conduct  in  the  chair,  and  in  the  execution  of 
public  business." 

"After  having  thus  pursued  his  congressional  career  with 
distinguished  success,  rising  by  the  energy  of  his  own  mind, 
and  the  perseverance  of  self-instruction,  from  the  plough  to 


*50  HUNTINGTON,  t 

the  presidency,  Mr.  Huntington,  in  August,  1781,  resumed 
his  judicial  functions  in  the  superior  court  of  Connecticut,  and 
his  station  in  the  council  of  that  state.  His  rapid  exaltation 
had  not  proved  prejudicial  to  his  mind  or  manners,  hut  he  re- 
turned to  his  constituents  in  the  same  plain  and  unassuming 
character,  which  had  first  attracted  their  confidence  and  ad- 
miration. 

"In  May,  1782,  he  was  again  elected  a  delegate  to  congress, 
but  it  does  not  appear  that  he  joined  his  colleagues  in  that 
body  during  the  year  for  which  he  was  then  appointed.  The 
injury  which  his  health  had  previously  sustained,  and  his  du- 
ties as  a  judge,  and  a  counsellor,  probably  prevented  him  from 
becoming  an  active  member  of  the  delegation.  But  his  de- 
sire to  engage  in  scenes  of  more  general  usefulness,  overcame 
these  objections  at  the  ensuing  election;  having  been  re-ap- 
pointed in  1783,  he  resumed  his  seat  in  congress  in  the  follow- 
ing July.  He  continued,  without  intermission,  to  perform  his 
duties  in  congress  until  its  adjournment  to  Annapolis,  on  the 
4th  of  November,  1783,  when  he  finally  retired  from  the  great 
council  of  the  nation,  of  which  he  had  so  long  been  an  influ- 
ential member. 

"In  1784,  soon  after  his  return  from  Congress,  he  was  ap- 
pointed chief  justice  of  the  superior  court  of  Connecticut,  and 
after  discharging  the  duties  of  that  office  for  one  year,  was 
elected  lieutenant  governor  of  the  state.  Having  at  all  times 
a  perfect  command  over  his  passions,  he  presided  on  the  bench 
with  great  ability,  and  impartiality:  no  judge  in  Connecticut 
was  more  dignified  in  his  deportment,  more  courteous  and  po- 
lite to  the  gentlemen  of  the  bar,  nor  more  respected  by  the 
particular  parties  interested  in  the  proceedings  of  the  court, 
as  well  as  the  public  in  general.  His  name  and  his  virtues 
are  frequently  mentioned  by  those  who  remember  him  in  his 
judicial  capacity,  with  respect  and  veneration. 

"In  1786,  he  succeeded  governor  Griswold,  as  chief  magi- 
strate of  the  state,  and  continued  to  be  annually  re-elected, 
with  singular  unanimity,  until  his  death. 

"This  excellent  man  and  undeviating  patriot,  died  in  Nor- 
wich, on  the  fifth  day  of  January.  1796,  in  the  sixty-fourth 
year  of  his  age.  Although  afflicted  with  a  complication  of 
disorders,  particularly  the  dropsy  in  the  chest,  his  death  was 
tranquil  and  exemplary,  and  previous  to  the  singular  debility 
both  of  mind  and  body  under  which  he  laboured  a  few  days 
before  that  event,  bis  religious  confidence  continued  firm  and 
unwavering.  In  his  person,  Mr.  Huntington  was  of  the  com- 
mon stature  ;  his  complexion  dark,  and  his  eye  bright  and  pen- 
etrating ;  his  manners  where  somewhat  formal,  and  he  pos- 
Bessed  a  peculiar  faculty  of  repressing  impertinence,  repelling 


HUNTINGTON.  £51 

unpleasant  advances,  and  keeping  aloof  from  the  criticising 
observations  of  the  multitude.  But  in  the  social  circle  of 
relatives  and  friends,  he  was  a  pleasing  and  entertaining  com- 
panion. 

Few  men.  possessing  all  the  faculties  of  education,  have 
attained  a  greater  share  of  civil  honours  than  the  self-taught 
Huntington.  He  was  a  man  of  profound  thought  and  penetra- 
tion, of  great  prudence  and  practical  wisdom,  of  patient  in- 
vestigation and  singular  perseverance,  and  of  distinguished 
moderation  and  equanimity  ;  he  was  cool  and  deliberate,  mo- 
derate and  circumspect  in  all  his  actions,  and  possessed  of  a 
clear  and  sound  mind.  , 

His  deportment  in  domestic  life  was  excellent ;  his  temper 
serene  ;  and  his  disposition  benevolent.  He  was  the  friend  of 
order  and  of  religion,  a  member  of  the  christian  church,  and 
punctual  in  the  devotions  of  the  family. 

Such  was  Samuel  Huntington,  the  friend  of  man  ;  loaded 
with  honours,  he  attained  a  good  old  age. 

In  the  4th  volume  of  Sanderson's  "  Biography  of  the  Sign- 
ers of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,"  a  neat  and  valuable 
work,  published  in  Philadelphia,  from  which  we  select  the 
greatest  portion  of  the  foregoing  sketch  ;  the  following  just 
remarks  precede  the  sketch  : 

"Among  the  phalanx  of  patriots  which  fearlessly  and  un- 
broken, resisted  the  menaces  and  efforts  of  the  British  gov* 
eminent  to  prevent  the  declaration  of  independence,  it  is  remar- 
kable to  observe  the  great  proportion  that  arose  from  the  hum- 
ble walks  of  life,  and  by  the  vigour  of  their  intellect,  and  un- 
wearied perseverance,  compensated  the  deficiencies  of  early 
education,  and  enrolled  themselves  with  honour  and  capacity, 
among  the  Champions  of  colonial  freedom.  When  we  look 
upon  the  plough-boy,  or  the  mechanic,  self-taught  masters  in 
the  school  of  policy,  elevated  to  the  dignity  of  legislation, 
which,  at  that  period,  was  conferred  upon  talents  and  inte- 
grity alone  ;  when  we  see  them  seated  among  the  first  ranks 
of  that  great  deliberative  body  which  sealed  with  solemn 
pledges  its  devotion  to  independence  ;  we  are  penetrated  with 
deep  emotions  of  admiration,  not  only  at  the  powerful  perse- 
verance which  rescued  them  from  oblivion,  but  at  the  strength 
of  mind  and  stability  of  purpose,  which  influenced  and  incited 
humble  individuals  to  aspire  to  and  attain  a  rank  among  the 
fathers  and  founders  of  the  republic.  But  it  is  in  times  of 
public  commotion,  when  the  minds  of  men  are  powerfully  agi- 
tated in  the  pursuit  of  favourite  and  important  objects,  that 
talents  and  genius  attain  their  proper  level.  In  seasons  of 
public  prosperity,  when  the  vessel  of  the  state  pursues  its 
course  with  favourable  gales,  and  no  adverse  winds  impede 


252  IRVINE. 

its  progress,  little  skill  is  necessary  in  the  pilot  or  the  crew; 
but  when  clouds  darken  the  political  horizon,  and  the  tempest 
approaches,  the  helm  is  willingly  abandoned  to  the  master- 
spirits who  have  skill  and  resolution  to  breast  the  storm." 

HUNTINGTON,  Jedediaii,  was  a  native  of  Norwich, 
Connecticut,  and  resided  a  long  time  in  New  London.  He 
was  regularly  educated  at  Harvard  college,  and  in  early  life, 
engaged  in  mercantile  pursuits;  but,  at  the  commencement  of 
the  revolutionary  contest,  his  active  and  enterprising  mind, 
and  ardent  attachment  to  the  cause  of  liberty  and  his  coun- 
try, would  not  suffer  him  to  remain  in  the  "  dull  pursuits  of 
civil  life,"  and  he  entered  the  army  at  an  early  period.  In 
1775,  he  commanded  a  regiment.  His  intelligence,  activity, 
bravery,  judgment  and  fidelity  as  an  officer,  secured  to  him  ad- 
vancement; the  affections  of  the  army:  the  respect  and  gratitude 
of  his  country;  and  the  attachment  and  lasting  confidence  of 
Washington.  He  continued  in  the  service  through  the  war, 
and  attained  to  the  rank  of  a  general  officer.  After  the  peace 
of  1783,  securing  the  independence  of  the  colonies,  the  object 
of  his  solicitude  and  of  his  toils,  he  retired  to  his  residence  in 
his  native  state,  where  he  was  employed  in  various  civil  offices, 
until  appointed  by  President  Washington  collector  of  the 
public  revenue  of  the  port  of  New-London  ;  the  duties  of  which 
office  he  discharged,  to  the  entire  satisfaction  of  the  public 
and  the  government,  during  a  period,  embracing  four  succes- 
sive administrations. 

He  died  on  the  25th  of  September,  1818,  aged  75  years. 

IRVINE,  William,  the  subject  of  this  biographical  sketch, 
was  a  native  of  the  Emerald  Isle,  which  has  given  to  the  world 
so  many  distinguished  men,  and  to  which  the  United  States 
have  been  indebted  for  so  large  a  portion  of  their  best  soldiers 
and  most  useful  citizens.  General  Irvine's  ancestors  ori- 
ginally emigrated  to  Ireland  from  the  north  of  Scotland.  His 
grandfather  was  an  officer  in  the  corps  of  grenadiers  that 
fought  so  gallantly  at  the  battle  of  the  Boyne.  General 
Wayne's  grandfather  bore  a  commission  in  the  same  service. 
It  is  a  curious  coincidence  that  their  descendants  should  be 
found  in  the  same  state  and  corps,  in  a  newT  world,  contend- 
ing for  the  same  cause. 

Of  Mr.  Irvine's  parentage  and  early  life,  we  know  less  than 
we  could  wish,  but  enough  to  shew,  that  both  were  highly 
respectable.  His  elementary  education  commenced  at  a  gram- 
mar school  in  Emskellcn,  (near  which  he  was  born)  and  was 
completed  at  the  college  of  Dublin.  Being  now  of  an  age 
when  it  became  proper  to  select  a  profession,  his  own  choice 
led  strongly  to  that  of  arms,  and  a  friend  of  the  family  (La- 
dy Cole)  went  so  far  as  to  procure  for  him  a  cornetcy  of  dra- 


IRVINE.  253 

goons;  but  the  \>  iser  calculations  of  his  parents  overruled  this 
arrangement,  and  instead  of  placing  him  in  the  army,  enter- 
ed him  a  student  of  medicine  and  surgery,  under  the  celebrat- 
ed C leghorn;  and  that  the  pupil  was  worthy  of  the  preceptor, 
may  be  fairly  presumed  from  the  fact,  that  on  closing  his  stu- 
dies, he  was  immediately  appointed  surgeon  of  a  British  ship 
of  war. 

The  incident  last  mentioned,  took  place  during  that  long 
contest  between  Fiance  and  England,  which  began  in  1754, 
and  terminated  in  1763.  It  was  in  the  course  of  several  years 
of  hard  and  constant  service,  that  becoming  acquainted  with 
the  condition  of  society  in  this  country,  he  took  the  resolu- 
tion of  seeking  a  professional  establishment  here,  and  accord- 
ingly, within  a  few  months  after  the  declaration  of  peace,  ar- 
rived in  America.  Attracted  by  the  number  and  character  of 
his  countrymen,  who  had  located  themselves  in  the  interior 
of  Pennsylvania,  he  made  his  way  thither,  and  in  1764,  be- 
came an  inhabitant  of  Carlisle.  Nor  was  he  Ions;  in  this  new 
situation,  until,  by  diligence  and  skill,  he  was  able  to  recom- 
mend himself  to  general  confidence,  in  despite  of  manners  ha- 
bitually reserved  and  even  occasionally  austere,  and  which 
utterly  excluded  the  use  of  those  gossiping  and  parasitical 
means,  so  often  and  so  scandalously  employed  in  giving  birth 
and  currency  to  medical  fame.  Professional  ascendancy, 
resting  on  foundations  so  little  liable  to  change,  continued  una- 
bated till,  in  1774,  he  was  called  to  take  part  in  the  political 
controversy  which  terminated  in  the  independence  of  the  co- 
lonies. 

The  few  who  have  survived  the  times  of  which  we  speak, 
and  who  are  yet  living,  will  remember,  that  this  was  the  most 
critical  period  of  our  history  ;  because  that  which  left  it 
doubtful,  whether  the  pending  and  separate  discussions  of  the 
colonies  would  eventuate  in  a  union.  To  effect  this  object, 
required  great  prudence,  activity  and  perseverance,  and  in 
Pennsylvania  in  particular,  these  qualities  were  held  in  con- 
stant requisition,  to  overcome  the  mischievous  tendency  of 
religious  scruples,  which  disaffected  more  than  one  important 
sect  of  the  community;  of  national  prejudices,  inseparable 
from  a  population  made  up  of  different  nations,  habits  and 
languages;  and,  lastly,  of  proprietary  influence,  which,  operat- 
ing through  the  multiplied  channels  of  friends  and  agents, 
addressed  itself  alike  to  the  hopes  and  fears  of  the  whole  com- 
munity. Yet  by  the  wisdom  and  energy  of  a  few  disinterest- 
ed men,  of  whom  Mr.  Irvine  was  one,  Pennsylvania  was  pi- 
loted through  these  political  straits,  and  brought  safely  into 
the  union.  As  a  first  step  in  this  direction,  it  was  agreed 
that  a  meeting  should  be  held  in  Philadelphia,  and  followed, 


£54  IRVINE. 

in  rapid  succession,  by  similar  assemblages  in  the  different 
counties  of  the  province.  The  meeting  took  place  in  Phi- 
ladelphia, the  18th  day  of  June,  and  on  the  15th  of  July,  a 
provincial  convention  came  together  in  that  city,  who  prompt- 
ly recommended  the  selection  and  sitting  of  a  general  con- 
gress :  denounced  the  Boston  port  bill  as  unconstitutional  ; 
expressed  their  sympathies  with  the  sufferers  under  it,  and 
declared  their  willingness  and  determinations  to  make  any 
sacrifice  necessary  for  the  support  of  American  rights. 

Of  this  convention,  Mr.  Irvine  continued  to  be  a  diligent 
and  influential  member,  until,  in  January,  1776,  he  was  ap- 
pointed to  raise  and  command  a  regiment  of  the  Pennsylva- 
nia line.  The  activity  put  into  this  new  service,  was  highly 
creditable  to  the  commander  and  his  subordinate  officers,  as 
in  less  than  five  months  from  the  date  of  his  instructions,  we 
find  the  regiment  raised,  clothed,  and  equipped,  and  marched 
to  the  mouth  of  the  river  Sorrel,  in  Canada;  and  on  the  10th 
of  June,  uniting  with  Thompson's  brigade  in  the  unsuccessful 
attempt  made  by  that  corps  to  surprize  the  van  guard  of  the 
British  army,  then  stationed  at  the  village  of  Trois  Rivieres. 
In  this  enterprise,  the  commanding  general  and  colonel  Ir- 
vine, with  about  two  hundred  subordinate  officers  and  pri- 
vates, who  formed  the  head  of  the  attack,  were  made  prison- 
ers and  carried  to  Quebec:  a  misfortune  sufficiently  great  in 
itself,  but  much  aggravated  in  the  present  case  by  the  fact, 
that  though  we  had  prisoners  of  commensurate  rank  ready  for 
exchange,  yet  that  from  some  misunderstanding  between  the 
two  governments,  or  their  agents,  no  exchange  was  made  un- 
til April,  1778.  To  compensate  colonel  Irvine  in  some  de- 
gree, for  a  mortification  so  severe  and  so  long  continued,  he 
at  this  last  epoch  found  himself  placed  at  the  head  of  the  se- 
cond Pennsylvania  brigade,  (a  corps  of  great  and  merited 
distinction)  which  he  continued  to  command  until  the  fall  of 
1781,  when  he  was  detached  to  Pittsburg,  and  charged  with 
the  defence  of  the  north-western  frontier,  then  menaced  with 
a  British  and  Indian  invasion. 

No  one  could  better  appreciate  the  difficulties  of  this  com- 
mand, and  the  qualities  necessary  to  meet  and  overcome  them, 
than  general  Washington,  with  whom  this  arrangement  ori- 
ginated. He,  well  knew,  that  besides  the  want  of  pay  and 
clothing,  and,  not  (infrequently,  even  subsistence  itself,  which 
was  common  to  every  division  of  the  army,  the  command  at 
Pittsburg  had  many  embarrassments  peculiar  to  itself,  and  of 
a  character  which  rendered  the  selection  of  the  officer  ap- 
pointed to  it,  a  matter  of  great  care  and  circumspection.  We 
need  hardly  remark,  that  the  circumstance  to  which  we  more 
particularly  allude,  is  the   well  known  controversy  which 


IRVINE.  255 

iiicn  existed  between  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  on  the  sub- 
ject of  boundary:  and  which  seriously,  and  for  a  long  time, 
embittered  many  individuals  of  the  two  states  against  each 
other.  Nor  was  this  personal  and  private  excitement  the  w  orst 
consequences  attending  it.  Public  bodies,  whatever  may  have 
been  their  feelings,  could  not  put  into  their  official  acts,  that 
violence  and  indecorum  which  marked  the  conduct,  and  even 
constituted  the  merit  of  individuals:  who,  in  their  turn,  re- 
sented this  moderation  of  their  leaders,  as  a  censure  on  them- 
selves, and  were  thus  led  from  contemning  the  authority  of  a 
neighbouring  state,  into  an  open  disrespect  for  that  of  their 
own.  And  hence  it  was.  that  military  expeditions  were  un- 
dertaken, without  authority  of  any  kind:  that  friendly  and 
christianised  Indians,  were  selected  as  subjects  on  whom  to 
retaliate  the  injuries  received  from  those  who  were  in  a  savage 
and  hostile  state;  that  the  military  posts  and  stores  of  the  na- 
tion were  menaced  with  attack  ;  and,  lastly,  that  proposi- 
tions for  a  separation  from  the  union,  were  openly  discussed 
and  seriously  advocated.  It  was  in  this  wretched  state  of 
things,  with  a  regular  force  wholly  incompetent  to  the  exi- 
gencies of  the  service;  with  a  militia  equally  destitute  of 
knowledge  and  discipline:  with  a  civil  authority  utterly  de- 
void of  power,  and  a  population  (with  some  exceptions)  indif- 
ferent, if  not  disaffected  to  government,  that  general  Irvine 
entered  into  the  duties  assigned  to  him.  His  whole  conduct 
shewed,  that  he  did  not  despair  of  bringing  order  out  of  con- 
fusion: for,  after  repairing  and  strengthening  his  forts,  and 
increasing  his  stock  of  ammunition  and  subsistence,  besought 
out  the  two  contending  factions,  and  in  a  short  time  satisfied 
both  of  his  impartiality,  care,  economy,  disinterestedness  and 
devotion  to  the  public  good.  By  thus  confirming  friends  and 
conciliating  enemies,  his  force,  moral  and  physical,  was  much 
increased,  and  was  probably  the  cause  of  turning  aside  the 
blow  meditated  against  Pittsburg;  and  which  about  that  time 
fell  so  dreadfully  on  another  point  of  the  frontier,  where  simi- 
lar disturbances  existed,  but  where  were  wanting  equal  vigi- 
lance and  prudence  to  control.  The  reader  will  readily  per- 
ceive that  in  this  observation,  we  refer  to  Wyoming. 

General  Irvine's  services  on  the  frontiers  were  now  deemed 
loo  important  to  be  dispensed  with,  and  he  was  accordingly 
continued  in  this  command  till  the  peace,  when  the  qualities 
which  had  recommended  him  to  public  confidence  were  neither 
forgotten  or  disregarded.  Among  the  provisions  made,  by 
'he  state  of  Pennsylvania,  for  the  better  remuneration  of  the 
army,  was  the  grant  of  a  large  tract  of  land,  situate  on  the 
western  side  of  the  Ohio  and  Allegheny,  and  bordering  on 
these  rivers.     As,  however,   few  large  tracts  arc  uniformh 


256  IRVINE. 

good,  so  it  was  presumed,  that  a  portion  of  this  was  either  of 
middling  or  bad  quality,  and  as  the  whole  contained  a  sur- 
plusage beyond  what  would  be  sufficient  for  the  line,  the  go- 
vernment, in  the  liberal  spirit  of  the  grant,  created  an  agen- 
cy for  exploring  and  characterising  the  different  parts  of  the 
tract;  to  the  end,  that  what  they  did  give,  should  really  be 
what  the  law  had  intended,  a  bounty  to  the  receiver,  and  not 
merely  a  surface  of  barren  and  measured  acres.  This  agen- 
cy, at  the  instance  of  the  troops,  was  conferred  on  general  Ir- 
vine, who,  notwithstanding  the  disagreements  attending  it, 
promptly  undertook  its  execution,  and  in  November,  1785,  re- 
ported the  result  of  his  mission,  and  received  from  the  execu- 
tive authority  its  entire  approbation  of  the  course  he  had  pur- 
sued, and  the  opinions  he  had  given.  Among  the  latter  of  these 
was  one,  which,  though  not  immediately  connected  with  his 
official  duties,  was  so  interesting  to  the  state,  as  to  merit  its 
particular  notice.  We  allude  to  the  advice  given,  of  the  im- 
portance to  Pennsylvania  of  acquiring  by  purchase  from  the 
United  States,  a  small  tract  of  land  ceded  to  them  by  the  state 
of  New  York,  and  which,  from  its  shape,  took  the  name  of 
the  Triangle.  The  negociation  was  opened  on  the  general's 
suggestion,  and  having  been  successful,  gave  to  the  purchasing 
state  a  considerable  front  on  Lake  Erie,  and  with  it,  one  or 
more  of  the  best  harbors  of  this  inland  sea.  On  closing  the 
business  of  the  land  agency,  general  Irvine  was  elected  a 
member  of  congress  under  the  confederation. 

It  was  about  this  date,  that  the  great  national  account  be- 
tween the  several  states  and  the  United  States,  which  began 
with  the  war,  and  which  had  not  hitherto  been  subjected  to  any 
official  examination  assumed  a  very  urgent  character  from  the 
admitted  fact,  that  the  contributions  made  by  the  several 
members  of  the  confederation,  had  been  unequal;  some  of  these 
having  given  much,  and  others,  having  given  little  or  nothing. 
To  relieve  the  embarrassments  growing  out  of  this  circum- 
stance, and  which  every  additional  day  had  a  tendency  to  mul- 
tiply and  aggravate,  Congress  proceeded  to  institute  a  board 
of  commissioners,  with  powers  to  examine  and  settle  this  mass 
of  old  and  complicated  business.  Of  this  board,  general  Irvine 
was  chosen  a  member;  and  (associated  with  Mr.  Kain,  of 
South  Carolina,  and  Mr.  Oilman,  of  New  Hampshire)  ac- 
complished the  task  in  a  short  time,  and,  as  we  understand,  to 
the  satisfaction  of  all  the  parties  concerned. 

Nothing  could  be  more  general  or  inveterate,  than  the  pre- 
judice which  existed  in  Pennsylvania,  against  monarchical 
principles  (in  government)  at  the  time  in  which  we  have 
brought  this  sketch  ;  hut  however  justly  founded  in  the  ab- 
stract, it  was  unfortunately  restricted  to  the  executive  depart- 


IRVINE,  257 

Jnent,  no  one  imagining  that  any  abuse  of  power  could  attach 
to  a  legislative  body,  emanating  directly  and  annually,  from! 
the  people.  Hence  it  was,  that  the  framers  of  their  first  con- 
stitution (of  whom  Benjamin  Franklin  was  one)  in  their  anx- 
iety to  avoid  Charybdis,  ran  directly  upon  Scylla,  for  after 
enfeebling  and  reducing  the  executive  authority  to  a  shadow, 
they  left  the  legislative  branch  (composed  of  one  house)  pos- 
sessed of  all  power,  and  without  the  smallest  check  on  its 
vices,  follies,  or  ignorance,  excepting  what  might  result  from 
a  septennial  council  of  censors,  whose  decisions  involved  no 
penal  consequences  to  offenders  of  any  description.  This  ab- 
surd system  had,  however,  many  friends,  and  generated  in  the 
community  a  controversy  of  bad  temper  and  long  standing, 
marked,  on  more  than  one  occasion,  with  blood.  But  time, 
which  is  always  confirming  prejudices,  or  curing  them,  was, 
on  this  occasion,  sapping  the  foundations  of  error,  and  would 
perhaps  of  itself  have  furnished  an  antidote  for  the  evil,  when, 
fortunately,  the  adoption  of  the  new  constitution  of  the 
United  States,  came  in  aid  of  its  operations,  and  by  laying 
down  sounder  principles  of  representative  government,  hast- 
ened the  decision  of  the  people  of  Pennsylvania  in  favour  of 
a  change  of  their  own  particular  constitution.  Of  the  con- 
vention to  whom  this  duty  was  confided,  general  Irvine  was  a 
member,  and  heartily  united  in  rescuing  the  state  from  the 
reproach,  under  which  she  had  so  long  and  so  deservedly  la- 
bo  u  red. 

When,  in  1796.  the  wfriskey  makers  and  whiskey  drinkers 
of  the  west,  broke  out  into  wild  and  open  insurrection,  neither 
the  feelings  of  the  nation,  nor  the  circumspection  of  Wash- 
ington, permitted  a  resort  to  arms,  until  after  an  appeal  had 
been  made  to  the  understanding  and  the  duties  of  the  offend- 
ers, by  persons  competent  to  the  task,  and  not  suspected  of  any 
particular  connexion  with  the  policy  which  had  produced  the 
excitement.  Two  sets  of  commissioners,  the  one  represent- 
ing the  United  States,  the  other  Pennsylvania,  were  accord- 
ingly appointed  and  despatched  to  the  neighborhood  of  the 
insurgents,  with  powers  to  offer  an  indemnity  for  the  past 
and  security  for  the  future,  on  condition  only  of  a  prompt  and 
unqualified  return,  on  their  part,  to  all  the  duties  of  obedience, 
Of  the  state  commissioners,  general  Irvine  was  one,  recom- 
mended alike  by  the  firmness  and  probity  of  his  character,  and 
the  high  standing  he  was  supposed  to  have  in  the  confidence 
of  the  western  district.  Nor  was  this  personal  standing  over- 
rated; but  the  feverish  temperament  of  a  mob  will  generally 
run  its  career:  the  moment  for  cool  deliberation  had  not  yet 
arrived;  the  character  and  the  motives  of  the  mission  were 
both  mistaken,  and  the  overtures  of  the  two  governments 


m  IRVINE. 

( equally  wise  and  benevolent)  were  openly  and  contemptuous- 
ly rejected.  When  the  report  of  this  failure  reached  the  seat 
of  government,  measures  of  force  were  vigorously,  though  re- 
luctantly, adopted,  and  general  Irvine  was  placed  at  the  head 
of  the  Pennsylvania  militia,  and  by  his  local  knowledge  con- 
tributed much  to  the  facility  of  the  march  and  the  other  mili- 
tary operations. 

His  advanced  age,  and  the  better  accommodation  of  his  fa- 
mily, induced  the  general  about  this  time  to  remove  from  Car- 
lisle to  Philadelphia;  and  that  he  might  not,  in  this  new  si- 
tuation, be  altogether  without  occupation,  he  accepted  the  ap- 
pointment of  Intendant  of  military  stores,  a  place,  at  that  pe- 
riod, of  very  limited  objects,  but  which  subsequently  became 
the  basis  of  that  important  department,  so  ably  tilled  by  his 
son  and  successor,  Mr.  Callender  Irvine.  He  served  also  as 
president  of  the  Pennsylvania  society  of  the  Cincinnati;  and 
it  was  in  the  discharge  of  some  of  the  duties  growing  out  of 
that  or  both  of  these  appointments,  that,  in  the  summer  of 
1804,  he  was  attacked  by  an  inflammatory  disorder,  which  ter- 
minated his  useful  life,  in  the  63d  year  of  his  age. 

From  this  brief  and  hasty  sketch  of  general  Irvine's  public 
services  and  appointments,  the  reader  wi  1  conclude,  as  we  do, 
that  he  was  a  zealous  patriot,  a  judicious  statesman,  an  able 
military  commander,  and,  in  a  word,  a  careful  and  intelligent 
and  conscientious  executor  of  all  public  trusts  confided  to  his 
management.  Nor  were  his  domestic  habits  less  worthy  of 
imitation:  a  kind,  attentive  husband,  an  affectionate  parent, 
an  indulgent  master,  a  faithful  friend,  and  a  liberal  enemy; 
Lis  private  life  furnished  a  constant  and  happy  illustration  of 
the  maxim,  that  "an  honest  man  is  the  noblest  work  of  God." 

IRVINE,  Andrew,  the  subject  of  this  notice,  was  a  native 
of  Ireland,  and  brother  of  general  William  Irvine.  There 
were  three  brothers  in  the  American  army,  during  the  revo- 
lutionary war,  William,  Andrew,  and  Dr.'  Mathew  Irvine,  of 
Charleston,  South  Carolina,  who  is  still  living.  Andrew  en- 
tered the  army  at  an  early  period  of  the  war,  as  a  lieutenant 
in  his  brother's  regiment.  He  marched  with  that  regiment 
to  Canada,  and  was  engaged  in  the  various  operations  in  that, 
province,  in  the  division  under  the  command  of  general 
Wayne.  Continuing  with  this  command,  he  participated  in 
the  several  actions  which  took  place  prior  to  the  massacre  at 
the  Paoli.  On  that  occasion,  he  received  seventeen  bayonet 
wounds.  After  his  recovery,  he  joined  his  regiment  and  v  as 
in  constant  service  in  the  northern  campaigns,  and  when  the 
Pennsylvania  line  was  ordered  to  the  south,  he  accompanied 
those  troops.  There  were  few  officers  in  our  army,  that  saw 
more  active  service,  or  who  acquitted  themselves  more  gal- 
lantly than  captain  Irvine. 


IRWIN— JACKSON.  259 

After  the  war,  he  retired  into  private  life,  and  died  at  Car- 
lisle, in  Pennsylvania,  on  the  4th  of  May,  1789. 

IRWIN,  .Tared,  was  horn  in  Mecklinburg  county,  North 
Carolina.  He  migrated  to  Georgia,  at  about  seven  years  of 
age,  and  was  for  many  years  on  the  Indian  frontier,  and  dur- 
ing the  latter  part  of  the  revolutionary  war,  actively  employ- 
ed in  a  skirmishing  warfare  against  thetories  and  Indians,  in 
which  situation  he  was,  by  his  neighbours  and  compatriots, 
looked  up  as  to  their  guide  and  support.  At  the  close  of  the 
war,  he  was  chosen  a  delegate  to  the  Georgia  legislature,  the 
first  that  ever  comened  under  our  present  form  of  goverment, 
which  met  in  Savannah,  in  1784,  and  from  that  time  till  his 
decease,  was  always  in  some  high  public  station. 

He  died  at  Union,  Washington  comity,  Georgia,  on  the  1st 
of  March,  1818,  in  the  sixty-eighth  year  of  his  age.  In  the 
death  of  this  gentleman,  Georgia  has  lost  an  old  and  faithful 
servant:  he  was  frequently  chosen  governor  of  the  state,  and 
except  when  in  the  executive  chair,  was  generally  a  member  of 
the  senate,  and  for  many  years  president  of  that  body. 

JACKSON,  James,  was  born  at  Morcton-Hampstead,  in 
the  county  of  Devon,  in  England,  on  the  21st  day  of  Septem- 
ber, 1757.  We  are  not  in  possession  of  any  materials  which 
exjdain  the  motives  of  his  determination  to  leave  his  native 
country.  We  only  know,  that  he  migrated  to  the  state  of 
Georgia,  in  the  year  1772,  and  was  placed  under  the  protec- 
tion of  John  Wereat,  Esquire,  an  old  and  intimate  friend  of 
his  father. 

At  this  early  age  we  are  authorised  to  suppose,  that  young 
Jackson's  mind  had  received  impressions  unfavourable  to  the 
political  institutions  of  his  own  country.  In  these  impres- 
sions he  was  no  doubt  encouraged  by  his  worthy  father,  whose 
opinions  and  principles,  it  is  said,  were  always  on  the  side  of 
freedom  and  the  rights  of  man. 

This  gentleman  had,  at  an  early  period,  evinced  a  partiality 
for  the  privileges  of  his  American  brethren,  and  in  the  circle 
of  his  family  and  friends,  vehemently  contended  against  the 
right  of  Parliament  to  tax  the  colonies.  The  bold  and  deci- 
sive opposition  made  by  the  colonists  to  this  supremacy  of 
power,  was  to  the  father  of  Jackson  a  subject  of  great  exul- 
tation. He  held  up  their  spirit  of  freedom,  as  an  example 
worthy  the  imitation  of  his  own  countrymen,  and  his  frequent 
panegyrics  on  the  "  American  sons  of  liberty,"  gave  an  irrer 
sistible  bias  in  their  favour  to  the  mind  of  James.  He  sighed 
to  become  one  of  a  people,  who  had  displayed  that  enthusias- 
tic devotion  to  liberty,  which  had  already  taken  possession  of  his 
own  feelings,  and  in  America  he  conceived  he  would  trace  some 
resemblances  to  the  virtue  and  heroism  which  had  distin= 


260  JACKSON. 

guished  the  ancient  republics  of  Rome  and  Greece.  Young 
Jackson,  from  the  republican  writers  of  his  country,  and  the 
principles  of  his  family,  had  imbibed  the  most  inveterate  pre- 
judices against  the  hereditary  and  factitious  distinctions  of 
the  British  aristocracy;  and  the  principle  that  a  man  should 
be  bom  a  king,  or  a  legislator,  was  alternately  the  subject  of 
his  ridicule  or  indignation.  The  whole  system  of  monarchy, 
appeared  to  him  an  hideous  usurpation  on  the  natural  rights 
of  man,  and  considered  as  a  violation  of  those  rights  to  oppose 
such  a  system  could  be  neither  treason  or  rebellion. 

With  sentiments  so  favourable  to  liberty,  and  thus  early 
imbibed,  young  Jackson  parted  from  his  friends  in  England, 
and  arrived  at  Savannah,  in  Georgia,  in  the  year  1772. 

Some  men  are  constitutionally  brave,  others  are  brave  from 
reflection;  from  a  nice  sensibility  to  public  opinion. 

Nature  had  destined  Jackson  for  a  soldier,  and  had  gifted 
him  with  all  the  properties  of  a  constitutional  courage.  It  may 
be  said  of  him,  without  exaggeration,  that  he  wooed  danger, 
and  that  he  never  was  appalled  by  the  perils  and  difficulties 
which  at  any  time  surrounded  him.  Such  a  man  was  not  fit 
for  the  calm  of  despotism,  or  for  those  scenes  which  do  not 
require  the  exercise  of  boldness,  activity  and  enterprise. 

The  period  of  Jackson's  arrival  and  domiciliation  in  the 
state  of  Georgia,  was  favourable  to  the  full  developement  of 
those  vigorous  traits  with  which  nature  had  marked  his  cha- 
racter. 

The  military  genius  of  Mr.  Jackson  panted  for  an  oppor- 
tunity of  displaying  itself.  Nature  had  formed  him  an  intre- 
pid soldier,  and  he  felt  all  the  patriotism  of  a  native  Ameri- 
can. Against  the  oppressions  and  usurpations  of  the  British 
monarchy  he  had  offered  his  services,  and  in  defence  of  the 
liberties  of  his  adopted  country  he  was  prepared  to  sacrifice 
his  life. 

The  first  opportunity  that  presented  itself,  and  which  open- 
ed a  field  for  the  display  of  his  courage  and  ardor,  was  when 
Barclay  and  Grant  proposed  an  attack  on  Savannah. 

Among  the  volunteers  sent  on  this  service,  were  John  Mo- 
rel, Thomas  Hamilton,  James  Bryan,  and  James  Jackson.. — 
At  this  time  Jackson  was  not  nineteen  years  of  age,  and  the 
voluntary  offer  of  his  services  in  this  bold  exploit,  not  only 
evinced  great  firmness  of  character,  but  unequivocally  con- 
firmed the  opinion  entertained  of  his  zeal  and  patriotism. 

At  the  attack  of  Tybee,  his  gallantry  attracted  the  notice 
of  Archibald  Bulloch,  Esq.  then  exercising  the  executive 
functions  of  the  state,  and  whose  thanks  and  approbation  he 
had  the  honor  to  receive. 

He  was  shortly  afterwards  appointed  to  the  command  of  a 


JACKSON.  £61 

%  oliinteer  company  of  light  infantry;  but  some  discontents  hav- 
ing taken  place  between  himself  and  his  men,  in  which  he 
conceived  a  proper  support  was  not  afforded  him  by  his  colonel, 
he  resigned  this  command  about  the  time  that  the  invasion  of 
East  Florida  was  resumed  by  general  Howe.  In  this  expe- 
dition however  no  laurels  would  have  decorated  the  brows  of 
the  enterprising  Jackson. 

In  the  latter  part  of  the  year  1778,  he  was  appointed  bri- 
gade major  of  the  Georgia  militia. 

Instances  of  patriotism  are  recorded  of  the  American  prison- 
ers, which  evince  the  virtuous  heroism  men  are  always  inspired 
with  in  their  struggles  for  republican  liberty.  "We  have 
been  unfortunate  in  battle,  (said  they)  but  the  chains  of  the 
victors,  shall  not  humble  the  independency  of  our  character; 
or  compel  us  to  abdicate  our  duty  to  our  country." 

Resolutely  refusing  to  enlist  into  the  service  of  his  Britan- 
nic majesty,  they  were  crowded  on  board  of  his  prison  ships; 
and  in  those  receptacles  of  misery  and  pestilence  the  heroes 
were  swept  away  by  disease  and  famine.  Even  the  hour  of 
death  did  not  rescue  them  from  the  brutal  sufferings  of  the 
British  soldiery.  The  words,  "rebel  scoundrels,"  resounded 
in  their  ears  in  the  last  moments  of  their  tortures. 

Dr.  Ramsay  has  pathetically  described  the  fate  of  Allen, 
who  lost  his  life  in  a  bold  attempt  to  escape  from  his  terrible 
confinement.  These  were  Georgians;  however  his  fellow  pris- 
oners, who  envied  his  fate,  would  cheerfully  have  embra- 
ced it.  Death  was  preferable  to  the  horrors  of  their  loath- 
some confinement,  or  to  the  ease  and  liberation  that  would  im- 
mediately have  accompanied  a  political  apostacy. 

It  was  the  good  fortune  of  Jackson  to  escape  from  captivity 
and  a  prison  ship;  but  the  possession  of  Savannah,  having 
cut  off  all  his  little  resources,  he  was  now  compelled  to  fly  be- 
fore the  triumphant  enemy,  and  to  encounter  all  the  privations 
and  distresses  of  a  pennyless,  and  destitute  soldier.  Jack- 
son's mind,  however,  was  not  of  a  common  complexion.  For- 
tified by  the  courage  of  a  soldier,  he  was  enabled  to  combat 
with  the  wants  of  the  man.  The  capture  or  dispersion  of  the 
Georgia  militia  having  taken  from  him  the  duties  of  an  officer, 
he  did  not  disdain  to  assume  the  station  of  a  common  soldier. 

When  Prevost  crossed  the  Savannah  river,  Jackson  was  in 
the  camp  of  Moultrie,  and  in  that  general's  retreat  marched  as 
a  common  soldier  from  Purisburgh  to  Dorchester.  Among 
other  adventures  of  '"this  barefoot  expedition"  (as  he  styles 
it  in  one  of  Ids  papers)  he  was  arrested  by  a  party  of  South 
Carolina  militia,  and  had  nearly  suffered  an  ignominious 
death  under  a  suspicion  that  he  was  a  spy.  A  strange  suspi- 
cion to  be  attached  to  the  patriotic  Jackson,  who  was  at  that 


262  JACKSON. 

moment  affording  the  most  convincing  proofs  of  his  zeal  in 
the  cause  of  American  liberty  !  A  release  and  apology  im- 
mediatety  accompanied  the  knowledge  of  his  character  and 
services.  In  the  siege  and  storm  of  Savannah,  he  in  common 
with  the  Georgians,  behaved  with  his  usual  gallantry. 

The  officers  of  Georgia  who  had  not  commands  formed  them- 
selves in  a  volunteer  corps  under  colonel  Marbury,  and  lead, 
the  advance  of  Huger's  column.  In  this  corps  it  is  supposed 
Major  Jackson  had  enrolled  himself. 

From  the  field  of  battle,  the  impetuosity  of  major  Jackson's 
character  easily  led  him  into  the  field  of  private  honor.  In 
the  year  1780,  he  fought  a  duel  with  lieutenant  governor 
Welis,  in  which  combat  Mr.  Wells  lost  his  life,  and  major 
Jackson  was  badly  wounded  in  both  of  his  knees. 

Recovering  from  his  dangerous  wounds,  he  retreated  with 
governor  Howley  through  the  state  of  South  Carolina,  then  ia 
complete  possession  of  the  British. 

In  August,  1780,  he  joined  colonel  Clarke's  camp,  and  was 
in  the  celebrated  action  of  Blackstocks.  "  On  the  20th  of 
this  month,  general  Sumpter  was  attacked  at  Blackstocks  near 
Tyger  river,  by  lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton,  at  the  head  of  a 
considerable  party. 

"  The  action  was  severe  and  obstinate.  The  killed  and 
wounded  of  the  British  was  considerable.  Among  the  former 
were  three  officers,  major  Money,  lieutenants  Gibson  and 
Cope.  The  Americans  lost  very  few;  but  general  Sumpter 
received  a  wound,  which  for  many  months  l  interrupted  his 
gallant  enterprises  in  behalf  of  the  state.'  His  zeal  and  ac- 
tivity in  animating  the  American  militia,  when  they  were  dis- 
couraged by  repeated  defeats,  and  the  bravery  and  good  con- 
duct he  displayed  in  sundry  attacks  on  the  British  detach- 
ments, procured  him  the  applause  of  his  countrymen,  and 
thanks  of  congress." 

The  dexterity  of  some  of  the  Georgia  Wilkes  county  rifle- 
men was  truly  astonishing.  Instances  are  mentioned  of  a  ri- 
fleman killing  a  dragoon  in  front,  then  falling  on  the  ground, 
loading  his  rifle,  and  killing  another  dragoon  who  had  charg- 
ed him  in  the  rear. 

In  a  note  to  Cornwallis,  (which  major  Jackson  intercepted, 
and  long  obtained  the  possession  of)  Tarleton  attempts  to 
cover  his  disgrace  in  this  action,  by  informing  his  lordship  that 
he  had  come  up  with,  and  cut  to  pieces  the  rebel  rear  guard. 
This  rear  guard  was,  however,  nothing  more  than  a  small  re- 
connoitering  party,  commanded  by  captain  Patrick  Carr,  who 
had  taken  prisoners  some  tories  and  mill-boys.  On  sight  of 
the  British,  Carr,  as  he  had  been  ordered,  retreated  to  make 
a  report,  leaving  the  wretched  tories  at  the  mercy  of  colonel 
Tarleton. 


JACKSON.  263 

'Their  loyalty  did  not  save  them  from  the  sabres  of  his  dra- 
goons; they  were  cut  to  pieces,  which  saved  them  probably 
from  a  milder  fate  than  Carr  had  reserved  for  them. 

Twiggs  remained  on  the  field  of  battle  two  hours  after  it 
had  ended,  and  detached  major  Jackson  after  the  British,  who 
captured  and  brought  off  thirty  of  their  horses.  The  British 
force  consisted  of  seven  hundred  men,  the  greatest  part  of 
whom  were  regulars.  The  Americans  brought  into  action 
only  four  huniu  .d  and  twenty  militia,  as  appears  from  a  com- 
parison of  tin-  returns  of  major  Jackson,  and  the  brigade  ma- 
jor of  general  Sumpter. 

The  British  lost  in  killed  ninety-two,  and  upwards  of  one 
hundred  wounded;  among  our  brave  countrymen,  Sumpter 
and  two  others  were  wounded,  and  one  killed.  The  conduct 
of  major  Jackson  in  this  action  gained  him  a  high  and  well- 
earned  reputation  among  the  militia  of  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia. 

Such  was  his  influence  and  popularity  at  this  period,  and 
such  was  the  unbounded  confidence  reposed  in  him,  that  he 
more  than  once,  after  colonel  Clarke  had  been  disabled  by  a 
wound  at  Long  Cane,  saved  his  camp  from  a  total  abandon- 
ment. 

From  the  field  of  Blackstocks  we  will  next  conduct  major 
Jackson  to  the  battle  of  the  Cowpens,  in  which  he  acquired 
much  glory,  and  the  marked  approbation  of  general  Morgan 
The  details  of  this  battle  are  in  the  possession  of  every  one. 
It  is  only  our  duty  to  advert  to  them  as  they  may  be  immedi- 
ately connected  with  the  particular  conduct  of  major  Jackson. 
The  day  preceding  this  memorable  engagement,  the  gallant 
Morgan  was  joined  by  the  militia  under  the  command  of  Pick- 
ens. Morgan  was  then  at  the  Cowpens,  and  had  resolved  to 
give  battle  to  the  enemy.  The  Georgia  and  South  Carolina 
militia  were  incorporated,  and  placed  under  the  command  of 
Pickens,  who  appointed  major  Jackson  brigade  major  of  the 
whole. 

On  this  day  he  had  the  honour  to  receive  the  sword  of  ma- 
jor M'Arthur  of  the  British  infantry,  whom  he  conducted  to 
general  Morgan,  and  to  receive  the  thanks  of  the  general  on 
the  field  of  battle,  for  his  useful  and  conspicuous  services  dur- 
ing the  engagement.  Major  Jackson's  name  is  not  mentioned 
in  general  Morgan's  report  of  meritorious  officers,  an  omis- 
sion which  has  been  attributed  to  the  inattention  of  his  aid, 
major  Giles. 

After  the  signal  victory  of  the  Cowpens,  Morgan  hastened 
with  his  trophies  and  prisoners  to  cross  the  Catawba.  The 
historian  informs  us,  that  the  interposition  of  a  flood  of  ram, 
checked  the  eager  pursuit  of  Cornwallis,  and  gave  time  to 


564  JACKSON. 

the  American  chief,  not  only  to  place  his  trophies  and  prison- 
ers beyond  the  reach  of  the  enemy,  but  to  indulge  his  soldiers 
with  the  short  repose  they  had  so  nobly  deserved.  The  act 
of  God  had  thus  retarded  the  rapid  movements  of  the  pursuing 
British  :  but  the  fords  of  the  Catawba  being  at  length  practi- 
cable, Cornwallis  made  his  preparations  to  force  a  passage. 

The  ford  at  Mr.  Cowen's  was  the  point  to  which  his  prin- 
cipal attention  was  directed.  There  the  brave  general  Da- 
vidson and  a  body  of  North  Carolina  militia  had  posted  them- 
selves. 

The  fall  of  this  commander  was  the  signal  for  the  disper- 
sion of  the  militia.  They  fled,  and  were  pursued  by  Tarle- 
ton,  who  obtaining  information  that  a  party  of  militia  had  col- 
lected at  Torrans'  tavern,  ten  miles  from  Mr.  Cowen's  ford, 
moved  off  thither  with  his  dragoons  to  surprise,  and  attack 
them.  The  assault  of  the  cavalry  was  immediate  and  impetu- 
ous; the  militia  assembled  there  were  dispersed,  and  fifty  of 
them  slaughtered. 

Major  Jackson  had  crossed  the  Catawba  with  Morgan,  and 
in  this  skirmish  displayed  great  personal  courage  in  many 
bold  attempts  to  rally  the  broken  ranks  of  the  militia.  The 
perils  he  encountered  this  day,  induced  a  belief  that  he  had 
been  slain,  and  he  was  accordingly  reported  to  general  Mor- 
gan, as  one  of  the  killed. 

His  conduct  in  general  Picken's  brigade,  in  the  whole  of  its 
severe  duty  in  North  Carolina,  has  been  noticed  in  the 
certificate  of  that  general.  It  met  the  approbation  of  general 
Greene,  and  the  merit  and  gallantry  which  attracted  the  notice 
of  that  wise  and  illustrious  commander,  could  have  been  of 
no  ordinary  complexion. 

The  battle  of  Guilford  had  completely  reversed  the  destinies 
of  the  two  armies.  The  British  were  left  in  possession  of  the 
field,  but  that  was  the  only  "positive  good"  (as  it  is  expressed 
by  the  historian)  derived  from  their  victory.  Greene  was 
prepared  to  renew  the  combat.  Cornwallis  has  taken  his 
measures  to  seek  security  in  a  retreat.  Such  was  the  victory 
of  Guilford. 

Disappointed  in  his  expectation  of  bringing  on  another  gen- 
eral action  by  a  further  pursuit  of  the  victorious  enemy,  Greene 
halted  and  deliberated,  the  result  of  which  was  a  determina- 
tion to  re-commence  hostilities  in  South- Carolina.  This  de- 
termination, bold  and  happily  conceived,  offered  to  Cornwal- 
lis the  alternative  of  again  following  him.  or  of  abandoning 
the  British  garrisons  in  the  back  parts  of  South- Carolina  and 
Georgia. 

The  resolution  being  formed  of  making  South-Carolina  the 
seat  of  war.  general  Pickens  received  orders  to  collect  the 


JACKSON.  265 

militia  of  his  brigade,  and  to  intercept  and  destroy  all  convoys 
and  supplies  intended  for  the  posts  of  Ninety-Six  and  Augus- 
ta. But  at  this  time  colonel  Baker  had  undertaken  an  ex- 
pedition against  the  upper  country  of  Georgia,  upon  intelli- 
gence of  which  major  Jackson  left  South  Carolina,  and  re- 
paired to  the  standard  of  that  otiicer. 

After  encountering  all  the  difficutics  and  dangers  of  a  passage 
through  an  hostile  country,  major  Jackson  arrived  in  Geor- 
gia, and  was  immediately  ordered  with  the  gallant  major 
Samuel  Hammond  to  re-cross  into  South  Carolina,  and  to  or- 
ganize the  militia  on  that  side  of  the  Savannah  river.  Two 
hundred  and  fifty  men  were  collected  hy  these  officers,  and  the 
command  given  to  colonel  Leroy  Hammond.  The  British 
had  now  lost  six  of  their  posts ;  and  the  next  object  of  the 
Americans  was  the  reduction  of  the  garrisons  of  Ninety-Six 
and  Augusta. 

At  this  period,  agreeably  to  a  promise  made  him,  when  af> 
tached  to  Pickens'  brigade,  he  received  from  general  Greene, 
a  colonel's  commission  for  a  partisan  legion,  which  his  well 
established  popularity,  influence  and  bravery,  enabled  him  to 
fill  in  the  course  of  a  few  days.  He  was  also  appointed  com- 
mandant of  Augusta.  He  afterwards  marched  into  Wilkes 
county  to  succour  the  militia  and  inhabitants  under  colonel 
Clarke,  who  were  menaced  by  the  garrison  of  Ninety-Six, 
and  the  tories  of  South  Carolina. 

He  maintained  the  post  at  Augusta  until  a  legislature  wras 
convened  there,  in  August,  1781,  when  Nathan  Brownson  was 
elected  governor,  and  colonel  Twiggs,  in  consideration  of  his 
gallant  services,  was  at  the  same  time  appointed  a  brigadier 
general. 

In  September,  the  general,  with  the  legion  of  colonel  Jack- 
son in  advance,  took  a  position  midway  between  Augusta  and 
Savannah,  from  whence  he  was  engaged  in  perpetual  skir- 
mishes with  the  enemy.  Some  short  time  previous  to  the  march 
of  the  militia  from  Augusta,  British  emissaries  had  nearly  ef- 
fected a  revolt  in  colonel  Jackson's  legion.  Intelligence  of 
these  intrigues  were  communicated  to  the  colonel  by  his  ser- 
vant, David  Davis,  one  of  his  dragoons,  who  by  affecting  an 
animosity  against  the  colonel,  obtained  a  full  knowledge  of 
the  intended  mutiny.  Their  plan  was  to  bayonet  the  colonel 
in  his  bed,  which  service  was  to  have  been  performed  by  his 
own  quarter  guard;  to  murder  the  principal  officers,  and  to 
conduct  the  governor  to  the  British  in  Savannah. 

Not  a  moment  was  now  to  be  lost;  every  thing  depended 
upon  an  instantaneous  boldness  and  decision.  The  colonel 
sent  immediate  orders  to  his  dragoons  not  engaged  in  the  con- 
spiracy, to  repair  to  him.     On  their  arrival,  he  ordered  the 


26G  JACKSON. 

infantry  to  turn  out  without  arms,  under  the  pretence  of  re~ 
ceiving  clothing,  and  in  this  situation  he  came  in  full  charge 
wpon  them  with  his  dragoons.  A  court  martial  was  convened 
and  the  ringleaders  executed.  Such  were  the  happy  effects 
produced  hy  this  austere  discipline,  that  ever  afterwards 
the  greatest  confidence  was  reposed  in  the  fidelity  and  bra- 
very of  the  infantry. 

I A  November,  1781,  general  Twiggs  detached  colonel  Jack- 
son, with  Stalling's  dragoons,  M'Kay's  riflemen,  and  Carr's 
volunteer  dragoons,  to  surprize  the  British  fort  at  Ogechce 
ferry.  This  service  was  performed  with  great  address  and  se- 
crecy. The  attack  of  the  white  house  was  conducted  with 
the  same  caution  and  success;  a  surrender  almost  immediately 
followed  the  appearance  of  the  Americans;  but  the  glory  of  this 
brilliant  exploit  was  soon  obscured  by  the  rash  and  sangui- 
nary act  of  captain  Carr,  who  killing  one  of  the  British  of- 
ficers after  the  surrender,  the  rest  resumed  their  arms,  and 
retiring  to  a  fortified  house,  compelled  the  colonel  to  relin- 
quish his  prize. 

The  next  object  which  presented  itself  was  the  strong  post 
of  militia,  established  at  Butler's  house,  under  the  command 
of  a  captain  Goldsmith.  This  post  was  carried  by  assault, 
and  the  whole  of  the  British  party  killed  or  captured.  A 
few  hours  after  the  reduction  of  this  post,  the  battle  was  re- 
newed with  the  whole  force  of  colonel  Campbell's  cavalry. — 
The  situation  of  colonel  Jackson  was  now  critical  and  alarm- 
ing. No  contest  could  have  been  more  unequal.  M'Kay's 
riflemen  had  left  him  to  collect  the  spoils  of  their  preceding 
victories;  and  the  defection  of  these  men  had  now  reduced  his 
force  to  forty-nine  of  Stallings  and  Carr's  dragoons,  and 
eight  dismounted  militia,  under  the  command  of  captain  Wil- 
liam Greene.  With  this  small  force,  he  had  to  combat  with 
eighty-five  British  dragoons,  well  accoutered  and  equipped, 
Greene's  men  were  ordered  to  advance  in  front  of  a  hammoc- 
thicket,  which  covered  the  dragoons. 

This  little  band  having  received  the  first  shock  of  the  Bri- 
tish horse,  the  dragoons  of  Jackson  immediately  charged  and 
broke  the  centre  of  their  column.  The  British  cavalry  fled, 
and  were  pursued;  but  being  stopped  by  a  fence,  they  rallied 
and  formed.  The  American  dragoons  slowly  retired.  The 
British  did  not  think  it  prudent  to  follow  them.  The  enemy 
lost  in  killed  and  wounded,  forty-two  officers  and  privates, 
within  seven  of  the  whole  force  of  the  American  dragoons  ; 
whose  loss  amounted  to  six  killed  and  seven  wounded,  and 
five  taken  prisoners,  among  whom  was  captain  Bugg  of  the 
Legion.  This  action  being  represented  to  general  Greene, 
iic  wrote  a  letter  to  governor  Brownson,  in  which  he  applauded 


JACKSON.  267 

in  high  terms  the  gallantry  of  colonel  Jackson,  anil  promised 
to  communicate  it  to  congress. 

The  battle  of  the  21st  May,  1782,  with  colonel  Brown, 
brought  to  a  conclusion  the  revolutionary  services  of  colonel 
Jackson.  On  this  day  he  was  ordered  to  take  a  position  near 
the  plantation  of  James  Habersham.  Here  he  was  informed, 
that  a  troop  of  British  dragoons  were  stationed  at  Ogcchee 
ferry.  Having  posted  the  main  body  of  his  detachment  at 
Little  Ogcrhee  bridge,  he  moved  on  with  his  horse,  and  a  few 
mounted  infantry,  and  fell  in  at  Fox's  with  a  large  body  of  Bri- 
tish militia  and  regulars.  These  he  charged,  but  being  re- 
pulsed by  a  superiority  of  numbers,  retreated  in  good  order 
to  join  the  main  body  at  the  bridge  of  Little  Ogechee.  The 
British  continued  the  pursuit  until  the  colonel  had  reached  his 
detachment,  with  which  he  made  so  prompt  and  judicious  a 
manoeuvre,  as  nearly  to  have  taken  prisoners  the  whole  of 
the  enemy's  horse. 

This  skirmish  was  of  great  importance  to  general  Wayne, 
as  by  diminishing  the  force  of  the  British  cavalry,  it  tended 
to  facilitate  his  victory  over  colonel  Brown. 

On  the  12th  of  July,  1782,  the  British  evacuated  Savananh, 
and  in  consequence  of  the  military  and  meritorious  services 
(as  it  was  expressed  by  general  Wayne)  colonel  Jackson  was 
ordered  to  enter  and  take  possession  of  the  town.  The  keys 
of  the  gates  were  delivered  him  by  a  committee  of  British  of- 
ficers, and  he  had  the  pleasure,  the  proud  satisfaction,  of  being 
the  first  man  who  entered  the  town,  from  whence,  in  1778,  he 
and  his  brother  soldiers  and  patriots  had  been  driven  and 
exiled. 
The  following  orders  were  issued  on  this  occasion  by  general 

Wayne  : 
''Head-Quarters,  Camp  at  Gibbons's,  July  10,  1782, 

u  As  the  enemy  may  be  expected  daily  to  evacuate  the  town, 
the  troops  will  take  care  to  be  provided  with  a  clean  shift  of 
linen,  and  to  make  themselves  as  respectable  as  possible  for 
the  occasion.  The  officers  are  particularly  called  upon  to 
attend  to  this  order,  and  see  it  executed  in  their  respective 
corps.  No  followers  of  the  army  are  to  be  permitted  to  enter 
the  town,  until  the  main  body  has  marched  in.  Lieutenant 
colonel  Jackson,  in  consideration  of  his  severe  and  fatiguing 
service  in  the  advance,  is  to  receive  the  keys  of  Savannah,  and 
is  allowed  to  enter  at  the  western  gate,  keeping  a  patrole  in 
town  to  apprehend  stragglers,  who  may  steal  in  with  the 
hope  of  plunder.  Marauders  may  assure  themselves  of  the 
most  severe  and  exemplary  punishment." 

This  was  a  glorious  day  to  the  republican  Jackson.  Al- 
ways devoted  to  the  principles  of  freedom,  he  had  embarked 


268  JACKSON. 

in  the  American  cause  with  the  ardour  of  a  brave  soldier,  and 
the  determined  zeal  of  an  honest  incorruptible  patriot.  In 
tlie  rapid  survey  we  have  taken  of  his  military  services,  it 
cannot  be  denied,  but  that  he  was  useful  and  undaunted  in  all 
the  stations  he  had  the  honour  to  occupy:  and  surely  nothing 
is  hazarded  in  the  assertion,  that  in  the  subordinate  spheres 
in  which  he  was  permitted  to  move,  no  patriot  of  the  revolu- 
tion was  more  enthusiastically  sincere  in  his  attachment  to 
the  interests  of  America,  or  encountered  with  more  resolution 
the  perils  which  encompassed  the  exertions  of  our  revolution- 
ary heroes. 

In  July,  1782,  the  general  Assembly  of  Georgia,  presented 
him  with  a  house  and  lot  in  Savannah,  for  his  revolutionary 
services. 

Colonel  Jackson  had  been  educated  as  an  attorney,  and  in 
that  capacity  he  now  soon  acquired  an  extensive  practice. 
Indeed,  such  was  his  industry  and  indefatigable  devotion  to 
the  duties  of  his  profession,  that  in  a  short  time  he  had  the  sa- 
tisfaction of  finding  himself  in  possession  of  a  competency, 
which  enabled  him  to  turn  his  attention  to  pursuits  more  con- 
genial to  his  ambition. 

In  1783,  he  was  chosen  a  member  of  the  legislature.  In  1784, 
lie  was  appointed  colonel  of  the  Chatham  county,  or  first  regi- 
ment of  Geogia  militia.  In  1786,  he  received  the  commission 
of  Brigadier  General ;  and  in  the  course  of  the  same  year  was 
admitted  an  honorary  member  of  the  Georgia  Cincinnati  So- 
ciety. In  January,  1788,  he  was  elected  governor  of  Geor- 
gia, but  declined  that  honourable  and  distinguished  station. 
He  was  also  appointed  a  major  general  of  the  militia  of  the 
state  of  Georgia  ;  and  subsequently  elected  by  the  legislature 
of  Georgia,  to  the  dignified  station  of  Senator  in  the  congress 
of  the  United  States. 

In  this  rapid  succession,  did  honors  follow  the  revolution- 
ary merit  and  patriotism  of  general  Jackson. 

General  Jackson  died  at  the  city  of  Washington,  on  the 
19th  day  of  January,  1806,  whilst  attending  his  duties  as  a 
Senator  of  the  United  States. 

He  died  the  unalterable,  the  fervid  patriot  of  1776.  He 
drew  his  last  breath  at  a  moment  when  the  situation  of  this 
country  demanded  all  his  zeal.  If  he  had  lived,  he  would 
have  stood  in  the  lists  of  those  patriots  who  will  never  sacri- 
fice the  legal  rights  of  their  country  at  the  shrine  of  ignoble 
peace.  If  we  mistake  not,  no  temporary  inconveniences  to  com- 
mercial profit,  no  temporary  diminution  of  the  revenue  of  the 
United  States,  would  have  obtained  his  assent  to  any  measures 
which  indirectly  acknowledged  the  imbecility  of  their  govern- 
ment, or  the  pusilanimity  of  their  people. 


JAMES.  269 

General  Jackson  was  born  an  Englishman,  but  his  heart 
was  American.  If  every  native  feels  the  same  affection  for 
this  country  that  he  did,  it  is  able  to  protect  itself  against  all 
attempts  on  its  liberties.  The  amor  vincit  patriae  of  theorists 
would  then  be  confirmed  by  the  operation  of  practical  vir- 
tues. He  offers  a  noble  example  to  naturalized  citizens,  who 
have  solemnly  pledged  themselves  to  support  the  principles  of 
this  government.  The  love  of  native  soil  is  natural,  and  it 
is  amiable:  but  local  attachment  should  not  prevent  an  hon  • 
nourable  discharge  of  duty,  when  the  dangers  and  interests  of 
this  country  demand  the  services  and  zeal  of  adopted  country- 
men. They  have  done  their  duty.  Having  discharged  it, 
they  will  meet  the  reward  which  it  is  in  the  power  of  a  free 
people  to  bestow:  and  like  general  Jackson,  they  will  afford 
this  useful  lesson  to  the  world,  that  men  can  be  found  in  the 
bosom  of  this  rising  republic,  who  know  and  feel  no  other  ob- 
ligations than  those  which  result  from  honour  and  abstract 
patriotism. 

General  Jackson  had  his  frailties  and  imperfections  in  com- 
mon with  other  men.  He  suffered  perhaps  the  impetuosity  of 
his  temper  to  hurry  him  into  extremes,  too  often  and  unne- 
cessarily. In  private  life,  the  manners  and  virtues  of  the  ge- 
neral were  of  an  amiable  complexion.  He  was  indeed  an  af- 
fectionate father  and  husband;  and  a  humane  master.  In  all 
these  relations,  and  in  the  discharge  of  the  duties  incidental 
to  them,  he  is  worthy  of  the  strictest  imitation.  He  was  a 
plain  hearted  republican,  whose  tongue  knew  no  guile;  whose 
heart  never  palpitated  with  fear,  or  planned  dishonesty. 

There  were  other  patriots  who  performed  greater  services 
than  he  performed;  but  no  patriot  ever  practised  a  more  dar- 
ing courage,  or  evinced  a  more  fervid  attachment  to  the  liberty 
and  independence  of  America.  No  officer  moving  in  the  li- 
mited spheres  of  command  which  was  given  him  at  different 
periods  of  the  war,  could  have  performed  his  duty  better;  with 
more  zeal,  fidelity  and  firmness. 

JAMES,  John,  Mas  born  in  Ireland  in  1732,  and  was  the 
son  of  an  officer  who  had  served  king  William  in  his  wars  in 
Ireland  against  king  James.  This  circumstance  was  the  ori- 
gin of  the  name  of  Williamsburg,  which  is  now  attached  to 
one  of  the  districts  of  Carolina.  The  elder  James,  with  his 
family,  and  several  of  his  neighbours,  migrated  to  that  district 
in  1733,  made  the  first  settlement  there,  and  in  honor  of  king 
William  gave  his  name  to  a  village  laid  out  on  the  east  bank 
of  Black  river.  The  village  is  now  called  King's  Tree,  from 
a  white  or  short  leafed  pine  which  in  old  royal  grants  was  re- 
served for  the  use  of  the  king  ;  and  the  name  of  Williamsburg 
lias  been  transferred  to  the  district.     To  it  major  James,  when 


270  JAMES. 

an  infant,  was  brought  by  his  parents.  His  first  recollec- 
tions were  those  of  a  stockade  fort,  and  of  war  between  the 
new  settlers  and  natives.  The  former  were  often  reduced  to 
great  straits  in  procuring  the  necessaries  of  life,  and  in  defend- 
ing themselves  against  the  Indians.  In  this  then  frontier  set- 
tlement, major  James,  Mr.  James  Bradley,  and  other  compa- 
triots of  the  revolution,  were  trained  up  to  defend  and  love 
their  country.  Their  opportunities  for  acquiring  liberal  edu- 
cations, were  slender;  but  for  obtaining  religious  instruction, 
were  very  ample.  They  were  brought  up  under  the  eye  and 
pastoral  care  of  the  Rev.  John  Rae,  a  presbyterian  minister, 
who  accompanied  his  congregation  in  their  migration  from 
Ireland  to  Carolina.  When  the  revolution  commenced  in  1775, 
major  James  had  acquired  a  considerable  portion  of  reputation 
and  property.  He  was  a  captain  of  militia  under  George  the 
3d.  Disapproving  of  the  measures  of  the  British  govern- 
ment, he  resigned  his  royal  commission,  but  Mas  soon  after 
reinstated  by  a  popular  vote.  In  the  year  1776,  he  marched 
with  his  company  to  the  defence  of  Charleston.  In  the  year 
1779,  he  was  with  general  Moultrie  on  his  retreat  before  gen- 
eral Prevost,  and  commanded  one  hundred  and  twenty  rifle- 
men in  the  skirmish  at  Tulifinny.  When  Charleston  was  be- 
sieged in  1780,  major  James  marched  to  its  defence,  but  gov 
ernor  John  Rutledge  ordered  him  back  to  embody  the  country 
militia.  The  town  having  fallen,  he  was  employed  to  wait 
on  the  conquerors  and  to  inquire  of  them  what  terms  they 
would  give.  On  this  occasion  major  James  waited  on  cap- 
tain Ardesoif,  a  British  officer,  who  had  arrived  at  George- 
town, and  published  a  proclamation,  inviting  the  people  to 
come  in,  swear  allegiance  to  king  George,  and  take  protec- 
tion. Many  of  the  inhabitants  of  Georgetown  submitted. 
But  that  portion  of  the  district,  stretching  from  the  Santeeto 
the  Pedee,  containing  the  whole  of  the  present  Williamsburg, 
and  part  of  Marion  district,  the  inhabitants  of  which  being 
generally  of  Irish  extraction,  were  very  little  disposed  to 
submission.  At  this  crisis  there  was  a  meeting  of  the  people, 
to  deliberate  on  their  situation.  Major  James  was  selected 
as  the  person  who  should  go  down  to  captain  Ardesoif,  and 
know  from  him  upon  what  terms  they  would  be  allowed  to  sub- 
mit. Accordingly,  he  proceeded  to  Georgetown,  in  the  plain 
garb  of  a  country  planter,  and  was  introduced  to  the  captain 
at  his  lodgings. 

After  narrating  the  nature  of  his  mission,  the  captain,  sur- 
prised that  such  an  embassy  should  be  sent  to  him,  answered, 
"that  their  submission  should  be  unconditional."  To  an  en- 
quiry "whether  they  would  be  allowed  to  stay  at  home  upon 
their  plantation  in  peace  and  quiet,"  he  replied,  "though  yon 


JAMES.  271 

have  rebelled  against  his  majesty  he  offers  you  a  free  pardon, 
of  which  you  were  undeserving,  for  you  ought  all  to  have  been 
hanged.  As  he  offers  you  a  free  pardon  you  must  take  up  arms 
in  support  of  his  cause."  To  major  James  suggesting  ''that 
the  people  he  came  to  represent  would  not  submit  on  such 
terms,"  the  captain,  irritated  at  his  republican  language,  par- 
ticularly at  the  word    'represent,'  replied,   "you   d d 

rebel !  if  you  speak  in  such  language,  I  will  immediately  order 
you  to  be  hung  up  to  the  yard  arm."  Major  James  perceiv- 
ing what  turn  matters  were  likely  to  take,  and  not  brooking 
this  harsh  language,  suddenly  seized  the  chair  on  which  he 
was  seated,  brandished  it  in  the  face  of  the  captain,  made  good 
his  way  through  the  back  door  of  the  house,  mounted  his 
horse,  made  his  escape  through  the  country,  and  rejoining  his 
friends,  formed  the  stamina  of  the  distinguished  corps  known 
in  the  latter  periods  of  the  revolutionary  war  by  the  name  of 
Marion's  brigade. 

In  the  course  of  this  cruel  and  desultory  warfare,  major 
James  was  reduced  from  easy  circumstances  to  poverty.  All 
his  movable  property  was  carried  off,  and  every  house  on  his 
plantation  burnt;  but  he  bore  up  under  these  misfortunes  and 
devoted  not  only  all  his  possessions  but  life  itself  for  the  good 
of  his  country.  After  Greene,  as  commander  in  chief,  had  su- 
perseded Marion,  major  James  continued  to  serve  under  the 
former  and  fought  with  him  at  the  battle  of  Eutaw.  The  corps 
with  which  he  served  consisted  mostly  of  riflemen,  and 
were  each  furnished  with  twenty-four  rounds  of  cartridges. 
Many  of  them  expended  the  whole,  and  most  of  them  twenty 
of  these  in  firing  on  the  enemy.  As  they  were  in  the  habit 
of  taking  aim,  their  shot  seldom  failed  of  doing  execution. 
Shortly  after  this  action,  major  James  and  general  Marion, 
Avere  both  elected  members  of  the  state  legislature.  Before  the 
general  had  rejoined  his  brigade,  it  was  unexpectedly  attack- 
ed, and  after  retreating  was  pursued  by  a  party  of  the  British 
commanded  by  colonel  Thompson,  now  count  Rumford.  In 
this  retreat  major  James  being  mounted,  was  nearly  overta- 
ken by  two  British  dragoons,  but  kept  them  from  cutting 
him  down  by  a  judicious  use  of  his  pistols,  and  escaped  by 
leaping  a  chasm  in  a  bridge  twenty  feet  in  width.  The  dra- 
goons did  not  follow.  The  major  being  out  of  their  reach, 
rallied  his  men,  brought  them  back  to  the  charge,  and  stop- 
ped the  progress  of  the  enemy.  When  the  war  was  nearly 
over, he  resigned  his  commission,  and  like  another  Cincinnatus, 
returned  to  his  farm,  and  devoted  the  remainder  of  his  days  to 
the  improvement  of  his  property  and  the  education  of  his 
children.  In  the  year  1791,  he  died  with  the  composure  and 
fortitude  of  a  christian  hero. 


273  JASPER. 

JASPER,  ■ — - — ,  was  a  man  of  strong  mind,  but  as  it 

had  not  been  cultivated  by  education,  he  modestly  declined 
the  acceptance  of  a  commission,  which  was  offered  to  him. — 
His  conduct,  however,  merits  particular  notice,  and  his  name 
is  entitled  to  a  page  in  the  history  of  fame.     At  the  com- 
mencement of  the  revolutionary  war,  Jasper  enlisted  in  the 
second  South  Carolina  regiment  of  infantry,  commanded  by 
colonel  Moultrie,  as  a  sergeant.     He  distinguished  himself  in 
a  particular  manner  at  the  attack  which  was  made  upon  Fort 
Moultrie,  on  Sullivan's  island,  the  28th  of  June,  17  76.     In 
the  warmest  part  of  the  contest,  the  flag-staff  was  severed  by 
a  cannon  ball,  and  the  flag  fell  to  the  bottom  of  the  ditch,  on 
the  outside  of  the  works.     This  accident  was  considered  by 
the  anxious  inhabitants  of  Charleston  as  putting  an  end  to  the 
contest,  by  striking  the  American  flag  to  the  enemy.  The  mo- 
ment that  Jasper  made  discovery  that  the  flag  had  fallen,  he 
jumped  from  one  of  the  embrasures,  and  mounted  the  colours, 
which  he  tied  to  a  sponge  staff,  and  replanted  them  on  the  pa- 
rapet, where  he  supported  them  until  another  flag-staff  was 
procured.     The  subsequent  activity  and  enterprise  of  this 
patriot,  induced  colonel  Moultrie  to  give  him  a  sort  of  a  rov- 
ing commission,  to  go  and  come  at  pleasure,  confident  that  he 
was  always  usefully  employed.     He  was  privileged  to  select 
such  men  from  the  regiment  as  he  chose  to  accompany  him  in 
liis  enterprises.     His  parties  consisted  of  five  or  six  ;  and  he 
often  returned  with  prisoners  before  Moultrie  was  apprised  of 
his  absence.     Jasper  was  distinguished  for  his  humane  treat- 
ment when  an  enemy  fell  into  his  power.     His  ambition  ap- 
pears to  have  been  limited  to  the  characteristics  of  bravery, 
humanity  and  usefulness,  to  the  cause  in  which  he  engaged — 
When  it  was  in  his  power  to  kill,  but  not  capture,  it  was  his 
practice  to  permit  a  single  prisoner  to  escape.  By  his  sagacity 
and  enterprise,  he  often  succeeded  in  the  capture  of  those  who 
were  lying  in  ambush  for  him.     In  one  of  these  excursions,  an 
instance  of  bravery  and  humanity  is  recorded  by  the  bio- 
grapher of  general  Marion,  which  would  stagger  credulity,  if 
it  was  not  well  attested.     While  he  was  examining  the  British 
camp  at  Ebenezer,  all  the  sympathy  of  his  kind  heart  was 
awakened  by  the  distresses  of  Mrs.  Jones,  whose  husband,  an 
American  by  birth,  had  taken  the  king's  protection,  and  been 
confined  in  irons   for  deserting  the  royal  cause,  after  he  had 
taken  the  oath  of  allegiance.     Her  well-founded  belief  was, 
that  nothing  short  of  the  life  of  her  husband  would  atone  for 
the  offence  with  which  he  was  charged.  Anticipating  the  aw- 
ful scene  of  a  beloved  husband  expiring  upon  the  gibbet,  had 
excited  inexpressible  emotions  of  grief  and  distraction. 
Jasper  secretly  consulted  with  his  companion,   sergeant 


JASPER.  273 

Newton,  whose  feelings  for  the  distressed  female  and  her  child, 
were  equally  excited  with  his  own,  upon  the  practicability  of 
releasing  Jones  from  his  impending  fate.  Though  they  were 
unable  to  suggest  a  plan  of  operation,  they  had  determined  to 
watch  for  the  most  favorable  opportunity,  and  make  the  ef- 
fort. The  departure  of  Jones  and  several  others  (all  in  irons) 
to  Savannah,  for  trial,  under  a  guard  consisting  of  a  ser- 
geant, a  corporal,  and  eight  men,  was  ordered  upon  the  suc- 
ceeding morning.  Within  two  miles  of  Savannah,  about  thir- 
ty yards  from  the  main  road,  is  a  spring  of  fine  water,  sur- 
rounded by  a  deep  and  thick  underwood,  where  travellers  of- 
ten halt  to  refresh  themselves  with  a  cool  draught  from  the 
pure  fountain.  Jasper  and  his  companion  considered  this  the 
most  favorable  to  their  enterprize.  They  accordingly  passed 
the  guard  and  concealed  themselves  near  the  spring.  When 
the  enemy  came  up,  they  halted,  and  only  two  of  the  guard 
remained  with  the  prisoners  while  the  others  leaned  their  guns 
against  trees  in  a  careless  manner  and  went  to  the  spring.— 
Jasper  and  Newton  seized  two  of  the  muskets*  and  disabled 
two  sentinels.  The  possession  of  all  the  arms  placed  the  ene- 
my in  their  power,  and  compelled  them  to  surrender.  The 
irons  were  taken  off,  and  put  into  the  hands  of  those  who  had 
been  prisoners,  and  the  whole  party  arrived  at  Perrysburg 
the  next  morning  and  joined  the  American  camp.  There  are 
but  few  instances  upon  record,  where  personal  exertions, 
even  for  self-preservation  from  certain  death  would  have  in- 
duced resort  to  an  act  so  desperate  of  execution.  How  much 
more  laudable  was  this  where  the  spring  to  action  was  roused 
by  the  lamentation  of  a  female,  unknown  to  the  adventurers. 
Subsequent  to  the  gallant  defence  of  Sullivan's  Island,  co- 
lonel Moultrie's  regiment  was  presented  with  a  stand  of  colors 
by  Mrs.  Elliot,  which  she  had  richly  embroidered  with  her 
own  hands,  and  as  a  reward  for  Jasper's  particular  merit, 
governor  Rutledge  presented  him  with  a  very  handsome  sword. 
During  the  assault  against  Savannah,  two  officers  bad  been 
killed,  and  one  wounded  endeavoring  to  plant  these  colors  up- 
on the  enemy's  parapet  of  the  spring  hill  redoubt.  Just  be- 
fore the  retreat  was  ordered,  Jasper  endeavoured  to  replace 
them  upon  the  works,  and  while  he  was  in  the  act,  received  a 
mortal  wound  and  fell  into  the  ditch.  When  the  retreat  was 
ordered  he  recollected  the  honorable  conditions  upon  which 
the  donor  presented  the  colors  of  the  regiment,  and  among  the 
last  acts  of  his  life  succeeded  in  bringing  them  off.  Major 
Horry  called  to  see  him  soon  after  the  retreat,  to  whom,  it  is 
said,  he  made  the  following  communication:  "I  have  got  my 
furlough.  That  sword  was  presented  to  me  by  governor  Rut- 
ledge  for  my  services  in  defence  of  Fort  Moultrie;  give  it  to 


274  JOHNSON— JONES. 

my  father,  and  tell  him,  I  wore  it  in  honor.  If  the  old  man 
should  weep,  tell  him  his  son  died  in  hopes  of  a  better  life. — 
Tell  Mrs.  Elliott  that  I  lost  my  life  in  supporting  the  colors, 
which  she  presented  to  our  regiment.  Should  you  ever  see 
Jones,  wife  and  son,  tell  them  Jasper  is  gone,  hut  the  remem- 
brance of  that  battle  which  he  fought  for  them,  brought  a  se- 
cret joy  into  my  heart,  when  it  was  about  to  stop  its  motions 
forever."  He  expired  in  a  few  minutes  after  closing  this  sen- 
tence. 

JOHNSON,  Francis,  was  a  native  of  the  state  of  Penn- 
sylvania. He  had  just  commenced  the  practice  of  the  law, 
when  the  revolutionary  war  commenced ;  when  abandoning 
his  private  pursuits,  he  joined  the  late  general  Anthony 
Wayne  in  raising  a  body  of  men,  which  were  commanded  by 
Wayne  as  colonel,  and  Johnson  as  lieutenant  colonel.  Upon 
the  promotion  of  colonel  Wayne,  the  subject  of  this  memoir 
succeeded  to  the  command  of  the  fifth  Pennsylvania  regiment; 
with  which  he  was  present  at  many  of  the  most  sanguinary 
conflicts,  during  the  war;  at  Ticonderoga,  Stoney  Point, 
Monmouth,  Brandy  wine,  and  other  battles.  After  the  resto- 
ration of  peace,  he  held  several  oflices  of  honour  and  profit, 
under  the  government  of  his  native  state;  and  in  his  declin- 
ing years,  (having  had  his  fortune  materially  injured  by  mis- 
placed confidence)  he  was  elected  to  the  very  lucrative  and 
honourable  office  of  high  sheriff  of  the  city  and  county  of  Phi- 
ladelphia. He  was  elected  to  this  by  those  who  differed  with 
him  in  political  opinion,  thereby  shewing  (however  true  the 
charge  of  ingratitude  may  be  against  republics  generally)  that 
the  people  of  repuhlican  America  have  not  forgotten  the  ser- 
vices of  those  to  whose  exertions  they  are  indebted  for  the  li- 
berty they  now  enjoy. 

Colonel  Johnson  died  in  Philadelphia,  on  the  22d  February., 
1815,  in  the  sixty-seventh  year  of  his  age.  He  was  a  hene- 
volent  and  kind  friend,  and  beloved  and  respected  by  all  who 
had  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 

JONES,  Paul,  one  of  the  most  enterprising  and  resolute 
mariners  America  had,  during  the  contest  with  Great  Bri- 
tain, was  born  in  Gal  way  county,  Scotland,  in  1747,  and 
could  lay  claims  to  but  humble  parentage.  His  father  had 
been  a  gardener  to  the  earl  of  Selkirk.  His  original  name 
was  John  Paul.  The  son  received  the  same  name,  and  was 
taken  into  the  family  of  the  earl  of  Selkirk,  and  was  there 
educated  under  a  private  tutor.  At  the  age  of  fifteen,  from 
what  cause  is  not  at  present  known,  he  took  up  with  a  seafar- 
ing life,  and  after  a  regular  apprenticeship,  became  master  of 
a  vessel,  engaged  in  the  West  India  trade.  In  one  of  his 
* oyages  to  Tobago,  a  mutiny  arose  in  the  ship,  which  was 


JONES.  275 

quelled,  but  not  without  the  death  of  one  of  the  mutineers. — 
When  arrived  at  Tobago,  he  delivered  himself  up  to  trial,  and 
was  acquitted.  After  acquittal,  he  returned  to  England,  and 
was  threatened  with  imprisonment,  in  order  for  a  new  trial. 
Feeling,  probably,  the  injustice  of  such  a  measure,  he  quitted 
his  country,  and  took  refuge  in  America.  He  arrived  here  at 
a  most  important  period.  The  colonies  were  on  the  eve  of  a 
separation  from  the  parent  state.  The  conflict  had  begun, 
and  Jones,  under  his  assumed  name,  having  received  a  lieute- 
nant's commission,  embarked  on  the  expedition  against  New 
Providence,  under  commodore  Hopkins. 

At  his  return,  he  was  appointed  to  command  a  sloop  of 
twelve  guns,  and  a  short  time  after,  to  a  ship  of  eighteen  guns. 
In  this  he  cruised,  in  1778,  around  the  coasts  of  England  and 
Scotland,  made  a  descent  upon  the  coast  of  Scotland,  near  the 
earl  of  Selkirk's  house,  and  carried  off  the  family  plate,  which 
was  afterwards  restored.  He  landed  also  at  Whitehaven,  in 
Cumberlandshire.  but  without  causing  material  injury  to  the 
inhabitants.  In  cruising  the  same  year,  off  the  Irish  coast, 
he  discovered  a  British  vessel,  by  the  name  of  the  Drake,  in 
the  harbour  of  Waterford.  and  challenged  her  to  combat.  The 
challenge  she  arcepted,  and  was  beaten. 

In  the  summer  of  1779,  a  squadron  was  fitted  out,  over 
which  Mr.  Jones  was  appointed  commander.  He  sailed  in 
the  Bonne  Homme  Richard  of  forty  guns,  and  four  hundred 
and  fifteen  men.  This  squadron  sailed  from  France  on  the 
14th  of  August,  and  was  successful  in  making  a  variety  of 
captures,  both  of  merchant  vessels,  and  vessels  of  war.  In 
a  gale,  he  was  separated  from  the  rest  of  his  forces,  but  was 
rejoined  by  them  about  the  first  of  September.  He  then  cruis- 
ed about  the  north-east  coast  of  Scotland,  and  formed  the  dar- 
ing plan  of  levying  a  contribution  upon  the  town  of  Leith. — 
This  was  to  be  effected  by  putting  himself  off  as  the  command- 
er of  a  British  squadron,  till  his  plan  could  be  put  in  execu- 
tion, and  then  to  demand  a  ransom  of  the  town  for  one  hun- 
dred thousand  pounds,  on  the  alternative  of  suffering  a  total 
destruction  of  the  town.  This  deception  was  discovered,  just 
as  the  squadron  had  hove  to  before  the  town  of  Leith.  On 
this  he  immediately  put  to  sea,  and  on  the  22d  of  September 
arrived  at  Flamborough  head. 

When  cruising  off  Flamborough  head,  about  two  leagues 
from  the  shore,  on  the  22d  September,  at  2  o'clock,  P.  M.  he 
descried  the  Baltic  fleet,  for  which  he  had  been  so  long  on  the 
look-out,  under  convoy.  The  fleet  was  convoyed  by  a  fri- 
gate and  a  sloop  of  war.  Preparations  were  immediately 
made  for  action. 

When  the  hostile  ships  had  sufficiently  neared,  their  respe«» 


276  JONES. 

tive  captains  hailed  each  other,  and  commenced  the  scene  of 
carnage,  at  moon  rise,  about  a  quarter  before  eight,  at  pistol 
shot  distance.  The  English  ship  gave  the  first  fire  from  her 
upper  and  quarter  deck,  which  Jones  returned  with  alacrity. 
Three  of  his  lower  deck  guns  on  the  starboard  side,  burst  in 
the  gunroom,  and  killed  the  men  stationed  at  them,  in  conse- 
quence of  which,  orders  were  given  not  to  fire  the  other  three 
eighteen  pounders  mounted  on  that  deck,  lest  a  similar  mis- 
fortune should  occur.  This  prevented  him  from  the  advantage 
he  expected  to  have  derived  from  them  in  the  then  existing 
calm.  Having  to  contend  alone  with  both  the  enemy's  ships, 
and  the  Bonne  Homme  Richard  having  received  several  shot, 
between  wind  and  water,  he  grappled  with  the  larger  vessel, 
to  render  her  force  useless,  and  to  prevent  firing  from  the 
smaller  one.  In  effecting  this  object,  the  superior  maneu- 
vering of  the  larger  ship  embarrassed  him  greatly.  He  suc- 
ceeded, however,  in  laying  his  ship  athwart  the  hawse  of  his 
opponent's.  His  mizzeu  shrouds  struck  the  jib-boom  of  the  ene- 
my, and  hung  for  some  time;  but  they  soon  gave  way,  when 
both  fell  along  side  of  each  other,  head  to  stern.  The  fluke  of 
the  enemy's  spare  anchor,  hooked  the  Bonne  Homme  Rich- 
ard's quarter,  both  ships  being  so  closely  grappled  fore  and 
aft,  that  the  muzzles  of  their  respective  guns  touched  each 
other's  sides.  The  captain  of  the  enemy's  smaller  ship  judi- 
ciously ceased  firing,  as  soon  as  captain  Jones  had  effected 
his  design,  lest  he  should  assist  to  injure  his  consort.  In  this 
situation,  the  crews  of  both  ships  continued  the  engagement 
for  several  hours.  Many  of  the  guns  of  the  American  ships 
were  rendered  useless,  while  those  of  the  English  remained 
manageable.  Some  time  after,  a  brave  fellow,  posted  in  the 
Bonne  Homme  Richard's  main  top,  succeeded  in  silencing  a 
number  of  the  enemy's  guns.  This  man,  with  a  lighted  match, 
and  a  basket  filled  with  hand  grenades,  advanced  along  the 
main  yard,  until  he  was  over  the  enemy's  deck.  Being  ena- 
bled to  distinguish  objects  by  the  light  of  the  moon,  wherever 
he  discovered  a  number  of  persons  together,  he  dropped  a 
hand  grenade  among  them.  He  succeeded  in  dropping  seve- 
ral through  the  scuttles  of  the  ship;  these  set  fire  to  the  cart- 
ridge of  an  eighteen  pounder,  which  communicated  successive- 
ly to  other  cartridges,  disabled  all  the  officers  and  men,  and 
rendered  useless  all  the  guns  abaft  the  mainmast.  The  ene- 
my's ship  was,  many  times,  set  on  fire,  by  the  great  quantity 
of  combustible  matter  thrown  on  board,  and  with  much  diffi- 
culty and  toil  the  flames  were  as  often  extinguished.  To- 
wards the  close  of  the  action,  all  the  guns  of  the  Bonne 
Homme  Richard  were  silenced,  except  four  on  the  fore-castle 
which  were  commanded  by  the  purser,  who  was  dangerously 


JONES.  2.77 

wounded.  Jones  immediately  took  their  command  on  himself. 
The  two  guns  next  the  enemy  were  well  served.  The  seamen 
succeeded  in  removing  another  from  the  opposite  side.  Hence 
only  three  guns  were  used  towards  the  close  of  the  action  on 
hoard  of  Jones'  ship.  The  musketry  and  swivels,  however, 
did  great  execution,  as  did  also  the  incessant  fire  from  the 
round  tops,  in  consequence  of  which  the  enemy  were  several 
times  driven  from  their  quarters. 

About  ten  o'clock,  a  report  was  in  circulation  between 
decks,  that  Jones  and  the  chief  officers  were  killed ;  that  the 
ship  had  four  or  five  feet  water  in  her  hold,  and  was  sinking. 
The  crew  became  alarmed,  and  the  gunner,  the  carpenter,  and 
the  master  at  arms,  were  deputed  to  go  on  deck,  and  beg  quar- 
ters of  the  enemy.  They  ascended  the  quarter  deck,  and 
whilst  in  the  act  of  fulfilling  their  mission,  were  discovered 
by  the  commodore,  crying  for  quarters.  Hearing  the  voice 
of  Jones,  calling,  "what  rascals  are  these;  shoot  them;  kill 
them,"  the  carpenter  and  master  at  arms  succeeded  in  getting 
below.  The  commodore  threw  both  his  pistols  at  the  gunner, 
who  had  descended  to  the  foot  of  the  gang-way  ladder,  and 
his  skull  was  thereby  fractured.  The  man  lay  there  until  the 
action  was  over,  after  which  his  skull  was  trepanned,  and  he 
recovered.  While  the  action  continued  to  rage  with  relent- 
less fury,  both  ships  took  fire,  in  consequence  of  which  the 
crews  were  obliged  to  cease  from  firing,  and  exert  themselves 
in  extinguishing  the  flames,  in  which  their  respective  vessels 
were  enveloped,  and  thus  prevent  the  certain  destruction  of 
the  combatants.  The  fire  being  extinguished,  the  captain  of 
the  hostile  ships  asked,  if  Jones  had  struck,  as  he  had  heard 
a  cry  for  quarters.  Jone!s  replied,  that  his  colours  would 
never  descend,  till  he  was  fairly  beaten.  The  action  re-com- 
menced with  renewed  vigor.  Shortly  after,  the  Alliance, 
captain  Landais,  came  up  within  pistol  shot,  and  began  a 
heavy  firing,  injuring  both  friend  and  foe;  nor  did  the  firing 
cease  from  her,  notwithstanding  repeated  hailing,  until  the 
signal  of  recognition  was  fully  displayed  on  board  the  Bonne 
Homme  Richard.  Nearly  one  hundred  of  the  prisoners,  pre- 
viously captured,  had  been  suffered  to  ascend  the  deck  by 
Jones'  master  at  arms,  during  the  confusion  occasioned  by  the 
cry  for  quarters,  owing  to  a  belief  that  the  vessel  was  sink- 
ing. To  prevent  danger  from  this  circumstance,  they  were, 
stationed  at  the  pumps,  where  they  remained  in  active  employ 
during  the  remainder  of  the  battle. 

The  sides  of  the  Bonne  Homme  Richard  were  nearly  stove 
in,  her  helm  had  become  unmanageable:  a  splintered  piece  of 
timber  alone  supported  the  poop.  A  brisk  firing,  however, 
was  kept  up  from  her  three  guns  on  the  quarter  deck.    Their 


£~S  JONES. 

shot  raked  the  enemy  fore  and  aft,  cutting  up  his  rigging  and 
spars,  so  that  his  mainmast  had  only  the  yard-arm  of  the 
Bonne  Homme  Richard  for  his  support.  The  enemy's  fire 
subsided  by  degrees,  and  when  his  guns  could  no  longer  be 
brought  to  bear,  lie  struck  his  colours. 

At  this  juncture,  his  mainmast  went  by  the  board.  Lieu- 
tenant Dale  was  left  below,  where  being  no  longer  able  to 
rally  his  men,  he,  although  severely  wounded,  superintended 
the  working  of  the  pumps.  Notwithstanding  every  effort, 
the  hold  of  the  Bonne  Homme  Richard  was  half  full  of  water, 
when  the  enemy  surrendered.  After  the  action,  the  wind  blew 
fresh,  and  the  flames  on  board  the  Richard  spread  anew,  nor 
were  they  extinguished  until  day-light  appeared.  In  the 
meantime  all  the  ammunition  was  broughton  deck  to  be  thrown 
overboard,  in  case  of  necessity.  The  enemy  had  nailed  his 
flag  to  the  mast,  at  the  beginning  of  the  action:  and  after  the 
captain  had  called  for  quarters,  he  could  not  prevail  upon  his, 
men  to  bring  down  his  colours,  as  they  expressed  their  dread 
of  the  American  rifles.  He  was,  therefore,  obliged  to  do  that 
service  himself.  In  taking  possession  of  the  enemy,  three  of 
Jones'  men  were  killed  after  the  surrender,  for  which  an  apo- 
logy was  afterwards  made.  The  captured  vessel  proved  to 
be  His  Britannic  Majesty's  ship  Serapis,  captain  Pearson, 
rating  forty-four,  but  mounting  fifty  carriage  guns.  The 
Bonne  Homme  Richard  had  one  hundred  and  sixty-five  killed, 
and  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  wounded  and  missing.  The 
Serapis  one  hundred  and  thirty-seven  killed,  and  seventy-six 
wounded.  All  hands  were  removed  on  board  the  prize,  to- 
gether with  such  articles  as  could  be  saved,  and  about  ten 
o'clock,  A.  M.  the  next  day,  the  Bonne  Homme  Richard 
sunk. 

Shortly  after  this  contest  had  terminated,  captain  Cotineau 
in  the  Pallas,  engaged  the  enemy's  lesser  ship,  which  struck 
after  a  severe  engagement  of  two  hours  and  a  half.  She 
proved  to  be  the  Countess  of  Scarborough.  Her  braces  were 
all  cut  away,  as  well  as  her  running  rigging  and  top-sail 
sheets.  Seven  of  her  guns  were  dismounted;  four  men  killed, 
and  twenty  wounded.  More  than  fifteen  hundred  persons 
witnessed  the  sanguinary  conflict  from  Flamborough  head. 

On  his  arrival  in  America,  Congress  passed  an  act,  dated 
April  14,  1781,  in  which  he  was  thanked,  in  the  most  flatter- 
ing manner,  "for  the  zeal,  the  prudence  and  the  intrepidity, 
with  winch  he  sustained  the  honour  of  the  American  flag ;  for 
his  bold  and  successful  enterprise,  with  a  view  to  redeem  from 
captivity  the  citizens  of  America,  who  had  fallen  into  the 
hands  of  the  English ;  and  for  the  eminent  services  by  which 
he  had  added  lustre  to  his  own  character  and  the  arms  of  Anier- 


KALB.  27$ 

ica."    A  committee  of  Congress  was  also  of  opinion,  "that 
lie  deserved  a  gold  medal  in  remembrance  of  his  services." 

Jones  seems  to  have  been  a  man  capable  of  the  most  daring 
deeds,  both  from  his  bravery  and  his  arts  of  deception.  An 
instance  of  the  latter  occurs  in  a  case  of  attack  upon  an  En- 
glish frigate,  superior  to  him  in  force,  off  the  Island  of  Ber- 
muda. Happening  to  fall  in  with  this  frigate,  he  was  imme- 
diately hailed,  when  he  returned  the  name  of  a  ship  of  the  Bri- 
tish navy.  This  satisfied  the  English  captain,  who,  as  the 
sea  was  rough  and  as  it  was  near  night,  ordered  him  to  keep 
company  till  the  morrow,  when  he  would  send  his  boat  aboard. 
But  to-morrow  never  dawned  on  the  hapless  Englishman, 
for  Jones,  getting  up  within  pistol  shot  distance,  discharged  a 
broadside  into  him,  and  immediately  discharged  the  other, 
when  the  English  vessel  sunk  with  every  soul  on  board  her. 
Jones  was  then  in  the  United  States'  frigate  Ariel.  On  peace 
taking  place,  he  returned  to  Europe,  and  going  to  St.  Peters- 
burgh,  was  honoured  with  a  commission  in  the  Empress  Cath- 
arine's fleet,  when  the  English  under  him  refusing  to  serve, 
he  was  transferred  to  a  command  under  the  Prince  of  Nassau, 
then  acting  against  the  Turkish  fleet.  Here  by  a  successful 
stratagem,  he  put  the  Turkish  fleet  into  the  power  of  the 
Prince,  who  wantonly  set  it  on  fire,  and  thus  barbarously  in- 
volved the  crews  in  one  general  destruction.  On  Jones'  retire- 
ment from  the  service,  he  went  to  France,  and  after  living 
through  the  first  stages  of  the  revolution,  died  in  the  city  of 
Paris  in  the  year  1792. 

KALB,  Barojv  de,  was  major  general  in  the  American 
army  during  the  revolutionary  war.  He  was  a  German  by 
birth,  a  brave  and  meritorious  officer.  He  had  attained  a  high 
reputation  in  military  service,  and  was  a  knight  of  the  order 
of  military  merit,  and  a  brigadier  general  in  the  armies  of 
France.  He  accompanied  the  marquis  de  la  Fayette  to  this 
country,  and  having  proffered  his  services  to  Congress,  he  was 
appointed  to  the  office  of  major  general.  He  repaired  to  the 
main  army,  in  which  he  served  at  the  head  of  the  Maryland 
division,  very  much  respected. 

Possessing  a  stout  frame,  with  excellent  health,  no  officer 
was  more  able  to  encounter  the  toils  of  war.  Moderate  in 
mental  powers,  as  in  literary  acquirements,  he  excelled  chief- 
ly in  practical  knowledge  of  men  and  things,  gained  during  a 
life  by  close  and  accurate  investigation  of  the  cause  and  ef- 
fect of  passing  events. 

No  man  was  better  qualified  for  the  undertaking.  He  was 
sober,  drinking  water  only  :  abstemious  to  excess;  living  on 
bread,  sometimes  with  beef  soap,  at  other  times  with  cold  beef; 
industrious,  it  being  his  constant  habit  to  rise  at  five  in  the 


280  KALE. 

morning,  light  his  candle,  devote  himself  to  writing,  which 
was  never  intermitted  during  the  day  but  when  interrupted  by 
his  short  meals,  or  by  attention  to  his  official  duty ;  and  pro- 
foundly secret. 

No  man  surpassed  this  gentleman  in  simplicity  and  conde- 
scension ;  which  gave  to  his  deportment  a  cast  of  amiability 
extremely  ingratiating,  exciting  confidence  and  esteem. 

At  the  battle  of  Camden,  in  South  Carolina,  the  baron  de 
Kalb  commanded  the  right  wing  of  the  American  army.— 
At  the  commencement  of  the  action,  the  great  body  of  the 
militia,  who  formed  the  left  wing  of  the  army,  on  being  charg- 
ed with  fixed  bayonets  by  the  British  infantry,  threw  down 
their  arms,  and  with  the  utmost  precipitation  fled  from  the 
field.  In  this  battle  the  Americans  suffered  a  severe  defeat 
and  loss.  The  continental  troops,  who  formed  the  right  wing 
of  the  army,  inferior  as  they  were  in  numbers  to  the  British, 
stood  their  ground,  and  maintained  the  conflict  with  great  re- 
solution. Never  did  men  acquit  themselves  better.  The 
Americans  lost  the  whole  of  their  artillery,  eight  field  pieces, 
upwards  of  two  hundred  wagons,  and  the  greatest  part  of 
their  baggage.  The  royal  army  fought  with  great  bravery, 
but  their  victory  was  in  a  great  measure  owing  to  their  supe~ 
riority  in  cavalry,  and  the  precipitate  retreat  of  the  American 
militia. 

Dc  Kalb,  sustaining  by  his  splendid  example  the  coura- 
geous efforts  of  our  inferior  force,  in  his  last  resolute  attempt 
to  seize  victory,  received  eleven  wounds,  and  was  made  pri- 
soner. His  lingering  life  was  rescued  from  immediate  death 
by  the  brave  interposition  of  lieutenant-colonel  du  Buysson, 
one  of  his  aid-de-camps;  who,  embracing  the  prostrate  gene- 
ral, received  into  his  own  body  the  bayonets  pointed  at  his 
friend.  Chevalier  de  Buysson  rushed  through  the  clashing 
bayonets,  and  stretching  his  arms  over  the  body  of  the  fallen 
hero,  exclaimed,  "save  the  Baron  de  Kalb  !  save  the  Baron 
dc  Kalb  !"  The  British  officers  interposed  and  prevented  his 
immediate  destruction  ;  but  he  survived  the  action  but  a  few 
hours.  To  a  British  officer,  who  kindly  condoled  with  him  in 
his  misfortune,  he  replied,  "  I  thank  you  for  your  generous 
sympathy,  but  I  die  the  death  I  always  prayed  for  ;  the  oeath 
of  soldier  fighting  for  the  rights  of  man." 

The  heroic  veteran,  though  treated  with  every  attention, 
survived  but  a  few  days.  Never  were  the  last  moments  of  a 
soldier  better  employed.  He  dictated  a  letter  to  general 
Small  wood,  who  succeeded  to  the  command  of  his  division, 
breathing  in  every  word  his  sincere  and  ardent  affection  for 
his  officers  and  soldiers;  expressing  his  admiration  of  their 
late  noble,  though  unsuccessful^  stand ;  reciting  the  eulogy 


KALB.  281 

which  their  bravery  had  extorted  from  the  enemy ;  together 
■with  the  lively  delight  such  testimony  of  their  valour  had  ex- 
cited in  his  own  mind,  then  hovering  on  the  shadowy  con- 
fines of  life.  Feeling  the  pressure  of  death,  he  stretched  out 
his  quivering  hand  to  his  friend  and  aid-de-camp,  Chevalier 
de  Buysson.  proud  of  his  generous  wounds,  he  breathed  his 
last  in  benedictions  on  his  faithful,  brave  division.  We  lost, 
besides  major  general  baron  de  Kalb,  many  excellent  officers, 
and  among  them  lieutenant  colonel  Potterfield,  whose  pro- 
mise of  future  greatness  had  endeared  him  to  the  whole  army. 
General  Washington,  many  years  after,  on  a  visit  to  Cam- 
den inquired  for  the  grave  of  DeKalb.  After  looking  on  it 
awhile,  with  a  countenance  marked  with  thought,  he  breathed, 
a  deep  sigh,  and  exclaimed,  "so  there  lies  the  brave  De  Kalb; 
the  generous  stranger,  who  came  from  a  distant  land  to  fight 
our  battles,  and  to  water  with  his  blood  the  tree  of  our  liberty. 
Would  to  God  he  had  lived  to  share  its  fruits!" 

On  the  14th  of  October,  1780,  congress  resolved,  that  a 
monument  should  be  erected  to  his  memory,  in  the  town  of 
Annapolis,  in  the  state  of  Maryland,  with  the  following  in- 
scription: 

Sacred  to  the  memorv  of  the 

BARON  DE  KALB, 

Knight  of  the  royal  order  of  Military  Merit, 

Brigadier  of  the  armies  of  France, 

and 

MAJOR  GENERAL 

In  the  service  of  the  United  States  of  America. 
Having  served  with  honour  and  reputation, 
For  three  years, 
He  gave  a  last  and  glorious  proof  of  his  at- 
tachment to  the  liberties  of  mankind, 
And  the  cause  of  America, 
In  the  action  near  Camden,  in  the  state  of  South  Carolina, 
On  the  16th  of  August,  1780; 
Where,  leading  on  the  troops  of  the 
Maryland  and  Delaware  lines, 
Against  superior  numbers, 
And  animating  them  by  his  example, 

To  deeds  of  valour, 

He  was  pierced  with  many  wounds, 

And  on  the  nineteenth  following  expired, 

In  the  48th  year  of  his  age. 

THE  CONGRESS 

Of  the  United  States  of  America, 

In  gratitude  to  his  zeal,  services  and  merit, 

Have  erected  this  monument. 


KENNARD— KIRKWOODo 

KENNARD,  Nathaniel,  at  the  commencement  of  the  Wat 
of  the  revolution,  entered  as  a  volunteer  in  one  of  the  first 
regiments  in  Massachusetts,  for  the  term  of  one  year.  At 
the  expiration  of  that  engagement,  he  entered  on  board  a  pri- 
vate armed  vessel ;  was  captured,  carried  to  England,  and 
kept  in  close  confinement  at  the  Mill  prison  for  two  years  and 
a  quarter,  being  encouraged  with  no  other  prospect,  than  a 
still  protracted  confinement,  a  termination  of  it  by  being 
banged  as  a  rebel.  Thence  lie  was  sent  to  France  in  a  cartel, 
where  on  the  20th  April,  1779,  be  entered  on  board  the  Bon 
Homme  Richard,  under  the  celebrated  John  Paul  Jones,  and 
was  with  him  in  some  of  the  most  desperate  enterprises  in 
which  that  commander  was  engaged.  From  that  vessel  he 
Mas  put  on  board  a  prize  and  ordered  for  France.  He  was 
again  captured  and  carried  into  Hull  in  the  north  of  England, 
transported  to  Spithead,  put  on  board  the  Unicorn  frigate  and 
compelled  to  do  duty  until,  at  the  eminent  hazard  of  his  life, 
he  escaped  in  the  Island  of  Jamaica.  Thence  he  returned  to 
America,  a  little  before  the  close  of  the  war.  After  the  peace 
of  '83,  he  engaged  in  the  merchant  service  and  continued  a 
reputable  ship  master  until  near  the  commencement  of  the  late 
war,  when  he  was  appointed  by  government  to  the  command 
of  a  Revenue  Cutter  and  continued  in  the  same  to  the  close 
of  the  war.  After  that  period,  until  his  death,  he  was  employ- 
ed as  an  Inspector  of  the  Customs  at  Portsmouth. 

He  died  June  24th,  1823,  in  Portsmouth,  New  Hampshire, 
aged  sixty  eight  years. 

KIRK  WOOD,  Robert,  a  brave  and  meritorious  officer 
of  the  Delaware  line,  in  the  army  of  the  revolution,  whose 
character  and  services  have  not  received  that  notice  to  which 
they  are  entitled.  We  embrace,  therefore,  with  pleasure,  the 
opportunity,  so  far  as  it  lies  in  our  power,  to  preserve  the 
memory  of  one,  who,  though  from  accident,  not  elevated  to 
conspicuous  rank,  nor  hitherto  decorated  with  eminent  histo- 
rical distinction,  was  the  pride  of  his  native  state,  and  an  or- 
nament to  the  army  that  defended  American  independence. 
We  doubt  not  there  are  many  that  held  subordinate  stations 
in  the  army  of  the  revolution,  who  have  not  received  that  meed 
of  renown  which  they  merited:  and  there  can  be  no  task  more 
delightful  to  a  grateful  posterity,  nor  more  worthy  of  a  pat- 
riot, than  to  search  out  the  rolls  of  honorable  exploit,  and  to 
promulgate  it  to  our  country.  Whether  we  consider  the  in- 
trinsic gallantry  of  our  revolutionary  heroes  and  statesmen, 
the  sufferings  they  endured,  or  the  inestimable  value  of  the 
blessings  they  obtained,  no  nation  has  prouder  examples  to 
appeal  to  than  the  American  people;  no  nation  v«as  ever  called 
on  by  stronger  obligations. of  gratitude,  to  honor  their  cha- 
racters and  to  consecrate  their  memories. 


KIRKWOOD.  285 

Robert  Kirkwood  was  a  native  of  the  state  of  Delaware. 
He  was  born  in  Newcastle  county,  near  the  village  of  New- 
ark, celebrated  for  an  excellent  academy,  in  which  be  receiv- 
ed a  classical  education.  On  the  termination  of  bis  literary 
studies,  be  engaged  in  farming,  and  continued  bis  agricultu- 
ral pursuits  until  hostilities  took  place  between  Great  Britain 
and  the  colonies.  In  January,  1776,  when  it  became  obvious 
that  the  war  would  be  serious  aiid  bloody,  when  uncondition- 
al submission  to  absolute  power  or  resistance,  were  the  alter- 
natives, the  intelligent  and  patriotic  mind  of  Kirkwood  did  not 
hesitate  as  to  the  proper  course,  lie  entered  as  lieutenant  in 
the  regiment  of  his  native  state,  commanded  by  colonel  Haz- 
let,  and  with  it  joined  the  army  under  Washington  at  New- 
York.  He  was  present  throughout  the  campaign  at  Long 
Island  and  its  neighborhood,  and  partook  in  tiie  disasters  that 
ensued  from  the  misfortunes  of  our  troops  in  that  quarter. 
On  Washington's  return  to  the  Jersies.  when  victory  was  re- 
called to  the  American  standard  at  Trenton  and  Princeton, 
he  participated  in  bis  country's  triumphs.  In  the  engagement 
at  Princeton,  colonel  Hazlet  fell,  deeply  lamented;  and  the 
year's  enlistment  of  his  men  being  expired,  the  regiment  vs  as 
re-organized  early  in  1777,  under  colonel  Hall,  since  govern- 
or of  Delaware.  Kirkwood  now  received  the  commission  of 
captain  in  this  regiment,  and  served  as  such  throughout  the 
rampaigns  of  1777,  *78  and  J79,  being  concerned  in  every 
battle  of  importance  fought  during  these  years. 

In  1780,  general  Gates  took  with  him  the  Delaware  regi- 
ment and  the  Maryland  line,  to  South  Carolina,  and  they  were 
actively  employed  under  the  command  of  lieutenant  colonel 
Vaughan  and  major  Patton,  at  the  battle  of  Camden,  in 
which  general  Gates  sustained  a  serious  reverse  of  fortune, 
and  the  American  army  was  totally  defeated.  In  this  disas- 
ter the  Delaware  regiment  was  reduced  from  eight  to  two 
companies,  containing  together  about  195  men,  the  command- 
ing officers,  with  the  greater  part  of  the  regiment,  being  made 
prisoners  by  the  British.  The  two  companies  that  remained 
continued  under  the  command  of  captains  Kirkwood  and  Jac- 
quet.  the  latter  of  whom  yet  lives  near  Wilmington,  Dela- 
ware, beloved  and  esteemed  for  his  virtues  and  patriotism. 
Under  these  officers  the  remains  of  the  regiment  served  until 
the  close  of  the  war:  and  when  the  peculiar  circumstances  of 
this  corps  are  considered,  the  reason  will  be  discovered  why 
an  officer  so  meritorious  as  captain  Kirkwood,  was  not  pro- 
moted, notwithstanding  promotions  as  high  as  colonels  were 
made  in  the  lines  of  several  states.  The  state  of  Delaware, 
had  but  one  regiment  in  the  army;  and  as  it  was  expected 
from  time  to  time,  that  colonel  Vaughan  and  major  Patton,  or 


384  KIRKWOOD. 

both,  would  be  exchanged,  Kirkwood  could  not  be  promoted 
in  the  line  of  this  state;  and  in  the  lines  of  other  states  promo- 
tions took  place  among  themselves.  Besides,  the  regiment 
was  so  reduced  in  numbers,  as  not  to  require  an  officer  of  a 
higher  rank  than  captain.  In  another  line,  or  under  different 
circumstances,  there  can  be  no  doubt  Kirkwood's  gallantry, 
zeal,  and  uniform  devotion  to  the  cause,  would  have  been  re- 
warded with  a  higher  rank,  and  a  more  conspicuous  standing 
in  the  eye  of  the  nation. 

In  the  southern  campaign  the  two  companies  were  attached 
as  light  infantry  to  Lee's  celebrated  legion,  and  Lee  placed 
great  confidence  in  them.  In  the  battles  of  the  Cowpens,  in 
which  the  corps  of  the  marauding  Tarleton  was  cut  to  pieces; 
at  Guilford,  where  lord  Corn wal lis'  army  received  a  shock 
from  which  it  never  recovered;  at  Camden,  the  Eutaws,  and 
other  places,  where  victory  became  familiar  to  the  American 
soldier,  Kirkwood  exhibited  his  usual  traits  of  srallantrv.  At 
the  Cowpens,  he  was  at  the  head  of  the  first  platoon  of  colo- 
nel Howard's  memorable  corps;  and  when  the  colonel  was  or- 
dered to  charge,  Kirkwood  advanced  ten  paces  in  front  of  the 
corps,  charged  with  his  espontoon,  and  called  to  his  men  to 
come  on!  His  example,  said  general  Morgan,  who  used  to 
relate  this  anecdote,  inspired  the  whole  corps. 

The  southern  army  finally  drove  the  enemy  from  the  Caro- 
linas,  taking  successively  nine  of  their  forts  or  fortified  places. 
Captain  Kirkwood  was  always  among  the  first  in  the  enemy's 
lines  or  works,  and  repeatedly  received  the  thanks  and  ap- 
plause of  generals  Greene,  Morgan  and  Smalhvood.  This 
distinguished  enterprise  achieved  a  high  reputation  for  him- 
self, and  acquired,  by  the  co-operation  of  his  brother  officers 
and  soldiers,  a  peculiar  renown  for  the  gallant  remnant  of 
the  Delaware  regiment.  At  the  termination  of  the  war, 
through  the  solicitation  and  influence  of  general  Washington, 
be  was  brevetted  a  major,  and  he  returned  to  his  native  state, 
where  he  was  cordially  received,  and  gratefully  welcomed, 
by  his  numerous  friends  and  admiring  fellow  citizens. 

Major  Kirkwood  afterwards  emigrated  to  the  state  of  Ohio, 
and  settled  on  his  lands  nearly  opposite  to  Wheeling,  in  the 
Indian  country.  This  was  an  adventurous  attempt,  and  would 
have  probably  intimidated  any  but  the  firm  mind  of  a  man  to 
whom  danger  was  familiar:  for  he  was  almost  the  only  white 
person  on  that  side  of  the  river.  He  had  left  his  family  in 
Delaware,  and  commenced  the  building  of  a  log  cabin.  It 
was  not  long,  however,  before  his  military  skill  and  intrepidity 
were  wanting  to  defend  his  life  and  property.  The  Indians 
approached  at  night  with  design  to  attack  him.  Being  assist- 
ed by  an  officer  and  some  soldiers,  who  had  crossed  the  river 


KIRKWOOD.  285 

from  Wheeling,  he  ordered  them  to  lie  down,  and  instructed 
them  when  the  Indians  advanced  to  rise  up  suddenly,  fire  all 
at  once,  and  then  rush  on.  The  stratagem  was  executed,  and 
succeeded:  the  Indians  advanced  boldly,  not  suspecting  dan- 
ger, and  several  being  hilled,  the  rest  fled. 

But  his  country's  danger  once  more  summoned  him,  and  for 
the  last  time,  to  the  field;  and  the  veteran  soldier  obeyed  the 
call  with  alacrity.  The  whole  West  was  in  alarm  from  the 
incursions  of  the  savages,  and  an  army  being  raised  by  the 
government  of  the  United  States  to  repel  them,  and  placed 
under  the  command  of  general  St.  Clair,  Kirkwood  resumed 
his  sword  as  the  oldest  captain  of  the  oldest  regiment  of  the 
United  States.  In  the  decisive  defeat  of  St.  Clair,  by  the  Mi- 
ami Indians,  on  the  4th  November,  1792,  Kirkwood  fell  on 
the  field  of  battle,  fighting  with  his  usual  heroism  at  the  head 
of  his  detachment.  It  was  the  thirty-third  time  he  had  risked 
his  life  for  his  country,  and  he  died,  as  he  had  lived,  brave, 
patriotic,  and  full  of  honour. 

Major  Kirkwood's  character  and  qualities  are  always 
spoken  of,  by  those  who  knew  him,  in  exalted  language.  Ge- 
neral Lee,  in  his  memoirs,  mentions  him  in  terms  of  approba- 
tion and  distinction.  Colonel  Jacob  Slough,  of  Lancaster, 
Pennsylvania,  who  was  his  intimate  associate  and  brother  of- 
ficer in  St.  Clair's  army,  in  a  letter  to  his  friend,  a  represen- 
tative in  congress  from  the  state  of  Maryland,  written  in 
May,  ]  824,  states  some  particulars  relative  to  his  death. 

"I  have  received  the  letter  you  honoured  me  with,"  says 
colonel  Slough,  4k  on  the  subject  of  the  services  and  virtues  of 
my  much-lamented  friend,  Kirkwood,  and  will,  with  pleasure, 
narrate  them.  Having  heard  many  of  the  officers  of  the  re- 
volution, who  knew  him,  when  he  belonged  to  Smallwood's, 
afterwards  Howard's,  regiment,  speak  of  him  in  the  most  ex- 
alted terms,  I  became  much  prepossessed  in  his  favour,  long 
before  I  knew  him:  and  when  I  found  him  a  captain  in  gene- 
ral St.  Clair's  army,  I  took  pains  to  become  acquainted  with 
him.  I  soon  discovered  that  this  desire  was  mutual,  and  in  a 
little  time  we  became  fast  friends;  so  much  so,  that  when  not 
on  duty,  we  were  generally  together.  I  passed  many  nights 
with  him  on  guard,  and  benefitted  greatly  from  his  experience, 
as  a  man  of  honour,  a  soldier,  and  a  police  officer.  Captain 
Kirkwood  had  been  sick  for  several  days  previous  to  the  4th 
November,  but  was  always  ready  for  duty.  At  the  dawn  of 
day  that  morning,  after  the  advanced  guard  was  attacked  and 
driven  in,  I  saw  him  cheering  his  men,  and  by  his  example, 
inspiring  confidence  in  all  who  saw  him.  When  he  received 
the  wound,  I  cannot  say.  I  was  at  a  distance  from  him,  and 
busily  engaged  in  attending  to  my  own  duty.     About  eight 


286  KNOWLTON. 

o'clock.  I  received  a  severe  wound  in  my  right  arm,  just 
above  the  elbow.  As  it  bled  very  much,  and  our  surgeon  was 
in  the  rear,  I  was  advised  to  go  and  have  it  dressed.  On  my 
way  to  rejoin  my  company,  I  found  my  friend  Kirkwood  lying 
against  the  root  of  a  tree,  shot  through  the  abdomen,  and 
in  great  pain.  After  calling  to  the  surgeon,  and  commending 
him  to  his  care,  I  saw  no  more  of  him  until  the  retreat  was 
ordered.  I  then  ran  to  him,  and  proposed  having  him  carried 
off.  He  said  no.  "I  am  dying;  save  yourself  if  you  can, 
and  leave  me  to  my  fate ;  but  as  the  last  act  of  friendship  you 
can  confer  on  me,  blow  my  brains  out.  I  see  the  Indians 
coming,  and  God  knows  how  they  will  treat  me!"  You  can 
better  judge  of  my  feelings  than  I  can  describe  them.  I  shook 
him  by  the  hand,  and  left  him  to  his  fate." 

Thus  fell  by  the  hands  of  the  savages,  the  hero  who  had  sur- 
vived the  most  eventful  battles  of  the  revolution,  where  he  had 
faced  danger  and  death  in  every  shape.  But  his  example  will, 
we  trust,  long  live  for  the  imitation  of  posterity,  and  his  name 
merits  a  portion  of  that  fame  which  it  belongs  to  Americans 
to  award  to  those  by  whom  the  revolution  was  achieved. 

KNOWLTON,  Thomas,  a  brave  and  distinguished  officer 
in  the  revolutionary  war,  was  a  native  of  Ashford,  Connect- 
icut. He  was  among  the  first  who  rallied  round  the  standard 
of  independence,  giving  the  country  that  warlike  attitude  ne- 
cessary to  sustain  it.  At  the  battle  of  Long  Island,  and  in 
the  memorable  retreat  of  the  American  army  to  New  York, 
in  August,  1776,  he  commanded  a  regiment  of  light  infantry, 
which  formed  the  van  of  the  American  army.  It  was  to  co- 
lonel Knowlton,  to  whom  general  Washington  applied,  to  de- 
vise some  mode  of  obtaining  information  of  the  strength  and 
future  movements  of  the  British  army.  Colonel  Knowlton 
communicated  the  views  and  wishes  of  the  commander  in  chief 
to  captain  Nathan  Hale,  an  officer  in  his  regiment,  and  whose 
ardent  patriotism,  and  bold  and  adventurous  spirit,  was  well 
known.  Captain  Hale,  as  has  already  been  mentioned  in  our 
preceding  pages,  immediately  offered  himself  a  volunteer  in 
this  difficult  and  hazardous  enterprise.  It  has  been  already 
mentioned,  he  fell  a  martyr  to  the  liberties  of  his  country,  and 
no  officer  in  the  American  army  lamented  his  early  fall  more 
than  his  friend  colonel  Knowlton.  He,  however,  did  not  long 
survive  his  young  friend  Hale.  In  September,  1776,  a  skir- 
mish took  place  between  two  battalions  of  light  infantry  and 
Highlanders,  commanded  by  brigadier  general  Leslie,  and 
some  detachments  from  the  American  army,  under  the  com- 
mand of  colonel  Knowlton,  and  major  Leitch,  of  Virginia. 
The  colonel  was  killed,  and  the  major  badly  wounded.  The 
officers  and  men  fought  with  great  bravery,  and  fairly  beat 


KNOX.  287 

their  adversaries  from  the  field.  Thus  fell  the  brave  colonel 
Knowlton,  who  had  early  embarked  in  the  revolutionary  con- 
test, and  sacrificed  his  life  for  the  cause  of  liberty  and  his 
country,  in  which  he  had  engaged  with  patriotic  ardour  and 
chivalrous  heroism. 

KNOX,  Henry,  major-general  in  the  American  army  du- 
ring the  revolutionary  war,  was  born  in  Boston,  July  25, 1750. 
His  parents  were  of  Scottish  descent.  Before  our  revolutionary 
war;  which  afforded  an  opportunity  for  tbc  developement  of 
his  patriotic  feelings  and  military  talents,  he  was  engaged  in 
a  bookstore.  By  means  of  his  early  education,  and  this  hon- 
ourable employment,  he  acquired  a  taste  for  literary  pursuits, 
which  he  retained  through  life. 

Young  Knox  gave  early  proofs  of  his  attachment  to  the  cause 
of  freedom  and  his  country.  It  will  be  recollected,  that,  in 
various  parts  of  the  state,  volunteer  companies  were  formed 
in  1774,  with  a  view  to  awaken  the  martial  spirit  of  the  peo- 
ple, and  as  a  sort  of  preparation  for  the  contest  which  w  as  ap- 
prehended. Knox  was  an  officer  in  a  military  corps  of  this 
denomination  ;  and  was  distinguished  by  his  activity  and  dis- " 
cipline.  There  is  evidence  of  his  giving  uncommon  attention 
to  military  tactics  at  this  period,  especially  to  the  branch  of 
enginery  and  artillery,  in  which  he  afterwards  so  greatly  ex- 
celled. 

It  is  also  to  be  recorded,  in  proof  of  his  predominant  love 
of  country,  and  its  liberties,  that  he  had  before  this  time,  be- 
come connected  with  a  very  respectable  family,  which  adhered 
io  the  measures  of  the  British  ministry,  and  had  received  great 
promises  both  of  honour  and  profit,  if  he  would  follow  the 
standard  of  his  sovereign.  Even  at  this  time  his  talents  were 
too  great  to  be  overlooked :  and  it  was  wished,  if  possible,  to 
prevent  him  from  attaching  himself  to  the  cause  of  the  provin- 
cials. He  was  one  of  those  whose  departure  from  Boston  was 
interdicted  by  governor  Gage,  soon  after  the  affair  of  Lexing- 
ton. The  object  of  Gage  was  probably  not  so  much  to  keep 
these  eminent  characters  as  hostages,  as  to  deprive  the  Amer- 
icans of  their  talents  and  services.  In  June,  however,  he 
found  means  to  make  his  way  through  the  British  lines,  to  the 
American  army  at  Cambridge.  He  was  here  received  with 
joyful  enthusiasm :  for  his  knowledge  of  the  military  art,  and 
his  zeal  for  the  liberties  of  the  country,  were  admitted  by  all. 
The  provincial  congress  then  convened  at  Watertow  n,  imme- 
diately sent  for  him,  and  entrusted  solely  to  him  the  erection 
of  such  fortresses  as  might  be  necessary  to  prevent  a  sudden 
attack  from  the  enemy  in  Boston. 

The  little  army  of  militia,  collected  in  and  about  Cambridge. 
iti  the  spring  of  t775,  soon  after  the  battle  of  Lexington,  Mas 


288  KNOX. 

without  order  and  discipline.  All  was  insubordination  and 
confusion.  General  Washington  did  not  arrive  to  take  com- 
mand of  the  troops  until  after  this  period.  In  this  state  of 
things,  Knox  declined  any  particular  commission,  though  he 
readily  directed  his  attention  and  exertions  to  the  objects  which 
congress  requested. 

It  was  in  the  course  of  this  season,  and  before  he  had  for- 
mally undertaken  the  command  of  the  artillery,  that  Knox 
volunteered  his  services  to  goto  St.  John's,  in  the  province  of 
Canada,  and  to  bring  thence  to  Cambridge,  all  the  heavy  or- 
dinance and  military  stores.  This  hazardous  enterprise  he 
effected  in  a  manner  which  astonished  all  who  knew  the  diffi- 
culty of  the  service. 

Soon  after  his  return  from  this  fortunate  expedition,  he 
took  command  of  the  whole  corps  of  the  artillery  of  our  army, 
and  retained  it  until  the  close  of  the  war.  To  him  the  coun- 
try was  chiefly  indebted  for  the  organization  of  the  artillery 
and  ordnance  department.  He  gave  it  both  form  and  efficien- 
cy ;  and  it  was  distinguished  alike  for  its  expertness  of  disci- 
pline and  promptness  of  execution. 

At  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  in  New  Jersey,  in  June,  1778, 
general  Knox  exhibited  new  proofs  of  his  bravery  and  skill. 
Under  his  personal  and  immediate  direction,  the  artillery  gave 
great  effect  to  the  success  of  that  memorable  day.  It  will  be 
remembered,  that  the  British  troops  were  much  more  numer- 
ous than  ours;  and  that  general  Lee  was  charged  with  keep- 
ing back  the  battalion  he  commanded  from  the  field  of  battle. 
The  situation  of  our  army  was  most  critical.  General  Wash- 
ington was  personally  engaged  in  rallying  and  directing  the 
troops  in  the  most  dangerous  positions.  The  affair  terminat- 
ed in  favour  of  our  gallant  army ;  and  generals  Knox  and 
Wayne  received  the  particular  commendations  of  the  com- 
mander-in-chief, the  following  day,  in  the  orders  issued  on  the 
occasion.  After  mentioning  the  good  conduct  and  bravery  of 
general  Wayne,  and  thanking  the  gallant  officers  and  men  who 
distinguished  themselves,  general  Washington  says,  "he  can 
with  pleasure  inform  general  Knox,  and  the  officers  of  the  ar- 
tillery, that  the  enemy  have  done  them  the  justice  to  ac- 
knowledge that  no  artillery  could  be  better  served  than 
ours." 

When  general  Greene  was  offered  the  arduous  command  of 
the  southern  department,  he  replied  to  the  commander-in- 
chief,  "  Knox  is  the  man  for  this  difficult  undertaking:  all 
obstacles  vanish  before  him  ;  his  resources  are  infinite." — 
"True,"  replied  Washington,  "  and  therefore  I  cannot  part 
with  him." 

No  officer  in  the  army,  it  is  believed,  more  largely  shared 


KNOX.  £89 

in  the  affection  and  confidence  of  the  illustrious  Washington. 
In  every  action  where  he  appeared,  Knox  was  with  him:  at 
every  council  of  war,  he  bore  apart.  In  truth,  he  possessed 
talents  and  qualities,  which  could  not  fail  to  recommend  him 
to  a  man  of  the  discriminating  mind  of  Washington. — 
He  was  intelligent,  brave,  patriotic,  humane,  honourable. 
Washington  soon  became  sensible  of  his  merits,  and  bestowed 
on  him  his  esteem,  his  friendship,  and  confidence. 

On  the  resignation  of  major-general  Benjamin  Lincoln, 
Knox  was  appointed  secretary  of  the  war  department,  by 
congress*  during  the  period  of  the  convention.  And  when  the 
federal  government  was  organized  in  1789,  he  was  designated 
by  president  Washington  for  the  same  honourable  and  respon- 
sible office. 

This  office  he  held  for  about  five  years;  enjoying  the  confi- 
dence of  the  president,  and  esteemed  by  all  his  colleagues  in 
the  administration  of  the  federal  government.  Of  his  talents, 
his  integrity,  and  his  devotion  to  the  interests  and  prosperity 
of  his  country,  no  one  had  ever  any  reason  to  doubt.  In 
1794,  he  retired  from  office  to  a  private  station,  followed  by  the 
esteem  and  love  of  all  who  had  been  honoured  with  his  ac- 
quaintance. 

At  this  time  he  removed  with  his  family  to  Thomaston,  on 
St.  George's  river,  in  the  district  of  Maine,  two  hundred 
miles  north-east  of  Boston.  He  was  possessed  of  extensive 
landed  property  in  that  part  of  the  country,  which  had  for- 
merly belonged  to  general  Waldo,  the  maternal  grandfather  of 
Mrs.  Knox. 

At  the  request  of  his  fellow-citizens,  though  unsolicited  on 
his  part,  he  filled  a  seat  at  the  council-board  of  Massachu- 
setts, during  several  years  of  his  residence  at  Thomaston ; 
and  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws  was  conferred  on  him  by 
the  president  and  trustees  of  Dartmouth  college. 

The  amiable  virtues  of  the  citizen  and  the  man,  were  as 
conspicuous  in  the  character  of  general  Knox,  as  the  more 
brilliant  and  commanding  talents  of  the  hero  and  statesman. 
The  afflicted  and  destitute  were  sure  to  share  of  his  compas- 
sion and  charity.     "His  heart  was  made  of  tenderness;"  and 
he  often  disregarded  his  own  wishes  and  convenience,  in  kind 
endeavors  to  promote  the  interest  and  happiness  of  his  friends. 
The  possession  of  extensive  property  and  high  office,  is  too 
apt  to  engender  pride  and  insolence.     But  general  Knox  was 
entirely  exempt,  both  in  disposition  and  manners,  from  this 
common  frailty.     Mildness  ever  beamed  in  his  countenance; 
••on  his  tongue  were  the  words  of  kindness;"  and  equanimity 
and  generosity  always  marked  his  intercourse  witli  his  fellow 
men.     The  poor  he  never  oppressed:  the  more  obscure  citi« 


KOSCIUSCO. 

zen,  we  believe,  could  never  complain  of  injustice  at  his  hands. 
With  all  classes  of  people  he  dealt  on  the  most  fair  and  hon- 
orable principles,  and  would  sooner  submit  to  a  sacrifice  of 
property  himself,  than  injure  or  defraud  another. 

In  his  person  general  Knox  was  above  the  common  stature; 
of  noble  and  commanding  form;  of  manners  elegant,  concili- 
ating and  dignified. 

To  the  amiable  qualities  and  moral  excellencies  of  general 
Knox,  which  have  already  been  enumerated,  we  may  justly 
add  his  prevailing  disposition  to  piety.  With  much  of  the 
manners  of  the  gay  world,  and  opposed,  as  he  was,  to  all  su- 
perstition and  bigotry,  he  might  not  appear  to  those,  ignor- 
ant of  his  better  feelings,  to  possess  religious  and  devout  af- 
fections. But  to  his  friends  it  was  abundantly  evident  that 
he  cherished  exalted  sentiments  of  devotion  and  piety  to  God. 
He  was  a  firm  believer  in  the  natural  and  moral  attributes  of 
the  Deity,  and  his  overruling  and  all-prevailing  providence. 

General  Knox  died  at  Thomaston,  October  25,  1806,  aged 
56  years.  His  death  was  occasioned  by  swallowing  the  bone 
of  a  chicken. 

KOSCIUSCO,  Thaddeus,  descended  from  an  ancient  fami- 
ly in  the  palatinate  of  Brescia,  Lithuania  proper,  received  the 
rudiments  of  his  education  in  the  military  academy  founded 
by  Stanislaus  Augustus.  The  commandant  of  that  academy, 
prince  Adam  Czartorski,  soon  remarked  the  uncommon  mili- 
tary genius  of  the  youth,  together  with  his  predilection  for  the 
science  of  war,  and  in  consequence,  sent  him  into  France  to 
complete  his  studies.  To  the  latest  moments  of  his  life,  Kos- 
<  iusco  gratefully  remembered  the  obligations  which  he  owed 
to  the  bounty  of  his  benefactor.  The  abject,  impotent  and 
submissive  situation  of  Poland,  at  that  period,  engendered  de- 
jection and  despair  in  his  useful  breast.  He  left  his  country 
and  repaired  to  a  foreign  land,  there  to  fight  the  battles  of 
independence,  when  he  found  that  her  standard  would  not  be 
raised  in  the  land  of  his  birth. 

When  very  young,  he  was  informed  by  the  voice  of  fame, 
that  the  standard  of  liberty  had  been  erected  in  America;  that 
an  insulted  and  oppressed  people  had  determined  to  be  free,  or 
perish  in  the  attempt.  His  ardent  and  generous  mind  caught, 
with  enthusiasm,  the  holy  flame,  and  from  that  moment  he  be- 
came the  devoted  soldier  of  liberty. 

His  rank  in  the  American  army  afforded  him  no  opportuni- 
ty greatly  to  distinguish  himself.  But  he  was  remarked 
throughout  his  service,  for  all  the  qualities  which  adorn  the 
human  character.  His  heroic  valor  in  the  field  could  only 
be  equalled  by  his  moderation  and  affability  in  the  walks  of 
private  life.     He  was  idolized  by  the  soldiers  for  his  bravery, 


KOSCIUSCO.  291 

and  beloved  and  respected  by  the  officers  for  the  goodness  of 
his  heart,  and  the  great  qualities  of  his  mind. 

As  the  companion  of  the  immortal  Washington,  he  fought 
bravely  from  the  Hudson  to  the  Potomac,  from  the  shores  of 
the  Atlantic  to  the  lakes  of  Canada.  He  patiently  endured 
incredible  fatigue;  he  acquired  renown;  and,  what  was  infi- 
nitely more  valuable  in  his  estimation,  he  acquired  the  love 
and  gratitude  of  a  disenthraled  nation.  The  flag  of  the  Uni- 
ted States  waved  in  triumph  over  the  American  forts,  and  the 
great  work  of  liberation  was  finished  ere  Kosciusco  returned 
to  his  native  country. 

Contributing  greatly,  by  his  exertions,  to  the  establishment 
of  the  independence  of  America,  he  might  have  remained,  and 
shared  the  blessings  it  dispensed,  under  the  protection  of  a 
chief  who  loved  and  honoured  him,  and  in  the  bosom  of  a 
grateful  and  affectionate  people. 

Kosciusco  had,  however,  other  views.  It  is  not  known  that, 
until  the  period  I  am  speaking  of,  he  had  formed  any  distinct 
idea  of  what  could,  or  indeed  what  ought,  to  be  done  for  his 
own.  But  in  the  revolutionary  war  he  drank  deeply  of  the 
principles  which  produced  it.  In  his  conversations  with  the 
intelligent  men  of  our  country,  he  acquired  new  views  of  the 
science  of  government  and  the  rights  of  man.  He  had  seen 
too  that  to  be  free  it  was  only  necessary  that  a  nation  should 
will  it,  and  to  be  happy  it  was  only  necessary  that  a  nation 
should  be  free.  And  was  it  not  possible  to  procure  these  bles- 
sings for  Poland  ?  For  Poland,  the  country  of  his  birth,  which 
had  a  claim  to  all  iiis  efforts,  to  all  his  services?  That  unhappy 
nation  groaned  under  a  complication  of  evils  which  has  scarce- 
ly a  parallel  in  history.  The  mass  of  the  people  were  the  ab- 
ject slaves  of  the  nobles.  The  nobles,  torn  into  factions,  were 
alternately  the  instruments  and  the  victims  of  their  powerful 
and  ambitious  neighbours.  By  intrigue,  corruption,  and 
force,  some  of  its  fairest  provinces  had  been  separated  from 
the  republic,  and  the  people,  like  beasts,  transferred  to  foreign 
despots,  who  were  again  watching  for  a  favorable  moment  for 
a  second  dismemberment.  To  regenerate  a  people  thus  deba- 
sed :  to  obtain  for  a  country  thus  circumstanced,  the  blessings 
of  liberty  and  independence,  was  a  work  of  as  much  difficulty 
as  danger.  But  to  a  mind  like  Kosciusco's,  the  difficulty  and 
danger  of  an  enterprise  served  as  stimulants  to  undertake  it. 

Immediately  after  his  return  to  his  native  country,  he  was 
imanimously  appointed  generalissimo  of  Poland.  In  the  strug- 
gles of  the  Polish  army  against  their  oppressors,  Kosciusco 
often  led  them  to  victory.  His  army  performed  prodigies, 
and  charged,  with  effect,  the  veteran  Russians  and  Prussians. 
Iu  consequence  of  the  treachery  of  one  of  Kosciusco's  oflv 


S92  LACEY. 

cer-s,  who  covered  with  a  detachment  the  advance  of  the  army, 
abandoned  his  position  to  the  enemy,  and  retreated,  the  Poles 
were  defeated  with  great  slaughter.  The  conflict  was  terrible. 
Kosciusco  fell,  covered  with  wounds,  but  still  recovered.  He 
was  conveyed  by  the  orders  of  Catharine,  the  empress  of 
Russia,  to  the  dungeons  of  St.  Petersburg,  where  he  remain- 
ed until  her  son  Alexander  came  to  the  throne.  One  of  his 
first  acts  was  to  restore  the  brave  Kosciusco  to  liberty.  AY  lien 
he  was  liberated,  he  turned  his  eyes  to  that  country,  where, 
in  his  youth,  he  had  fought  for  liberty  and  independence.  He 
embarked  for  America,  and  landed  at  Philadelphia.  The 
members  of  congress,  then  in  session,  his  friends  and  acquain- 
tances, and  the  citizens  generally,  hailed  his  arrival  with 
pleasure.  The  people  surrounded  the  carriage  and  accom- 
panied him  to  his  lodgings.  After  some  time,  he  visited  the 
shores  of  Europe  once  more.  He  went  to  Switzerland,  where 
he  soon  after  died. 

LACEY,  John,  an  active  officer,  and  zealous  whig  of  the 
Revolution,  was  born  in  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania,  on  the 
4th  day  of  February,  1755.  His  great-grandfather  emigrated 
from  the  Isle  of  Wight,  England,  and  was  among  the  earliest 
of  those  who  followed  the  fortunes  of  William  Penn,  in  the 
settlement  of  Pennsylvania.  The  family,  from  the  first  emi- 
grant down  to  the  subject  of  this  biographical  notice,  were  all 
educated  in  the  religious  principles  of  the  Society  of  Friends, 
or  Quakers;  and  were  chiefly  devoted  to  the  peaceful  pursuits 
of  agriculture. 

Previously  to  the  American  revolution,  the  opportunities  of 
education  were  very  limited  in  Pennsylvania;  especially  in 
the  country  schools;  and  in  addition  to  this,  the  Quakers  were 
considerably  prejudiced  against  giving  much  school  learning 
to  their  children.  The  joint  operation  of  these  causes  pre- 
vented Mr.  Lacey,  while  young,  from  receiving  more  than  the 
rudiments  of  an  imperfect  English  education;  a  defect  which 
he,  subscqently,  often  felt  and  regretted;  and  which  he  endea- 
voured to  supply,  as  far  as  possible,  by  his  own  industry  and 
application  to  private  studies.  His  active  mind  soon  perceiv- 
ed the  want  of  that  nurture  which  it  is  the  business  of  well- 
ordered  schools  to  afford;  and,  to  the  latest  hour  of  his  life,  he 
earnestly  deprecated  that  neglect  of  the  expanding  faculties 
of  youth,  which  it  had  been  his  own  misfortune  to  expe- 
rience. 

At  the  early  age  of  fourteen  years,  he  was  taken  from 
school,  and  employed  occasionally  on  the  farm;  but  more  geT 
nerally  in  attending  to  a  mill,  which  his  father  owned.  Here 
he  devoted  his  leisure  moments  to  reading  and  study ;  and 
with  the  aid  of  borrowed  books,  procured  among  his  friends 


LACEY.  295 

of  the  neighborhood,  he  added  very  considerably  to  his  stock 
of  useful  knowledge.     In  this  manner  his  time  was  princi- 
pally occupied,  until  the  disputes  between  the  colonies  and 
Great  Britain  assumed  a  serious  aspect.     Every  one  took  his 
side,  on  that  momentous  occasion;  and  many  of  Mr.  Lacey's 
nearest  connexions,  in   common  with  the  greater  portion  of 
the  sect  to  which  they  belonged,  inclined  to  the  side  of  the 
mother  country:  but  he,  young,  enterprising,  and  full  of  pa- 
triotic ardour,  speedily  became  indignant  at  the  conduct  and 
pretensions  of  Britain,  and  warmly  espoused  the  cause  of  the 
colonics.     Animated  by  the  noble  feelings  which  roused  the 
American  whigs  to  action,  he  immediately  united  with  those 
who  prepared  to  resist  the  operations  of  the  haughty  oppres- 
sor.    A  volunteer  association  of  young  men  was  formed,  in 
the  county,  to  learn  the  use  of  arms,  of  which  corps  he  was 
unanimously  chosen  captain.      Several  youths  of  the  Quaker 
society  joined  the  company,  at  first;  but  when  the  meetings 
interfered,  they  all  fell  back*  except  Mr.   Lacey,   who  was 
soon  after  excommunicated  for  persisting  in  the  cause.     Al- 
though attached  to  the  society,  in  which  he  had  been  educat- 
ed, by  strong  and  numerous  ligaments,  yet  the   impetus  of 
his  feelings,  at  that  eventful  crisis,  quickly  carried  him  be- 
yond the  limits  prescribed  by  the  submissive  tenets  of  the 
sect. 

At  the  recommendation  of  the  congress,  several  battalions 
of  troops  were  ordered  to  be  raised  in  Pennsylvania,  for  the 
defence  of  the  country  and  its  liberties;  and  Mr.  Lacey  receiv- 
ed a  captain's  commission  from  congress,  dated  the  5th  of 
January,  1776.  The  commission  reached  him  on  the  20th  of 
the  month;  and  such  was  his  zeal,  diligence  and  good  fortune, 
that  he  enlisted  his  complement  of  men,  (mostly  farmers'  sons 
of  the  neighborhood,)  by  the  12th  of  February,  following. 
Captain  Lacey's  company  was  attached  to  the  4th  battalion 
in  the  Pennsylvania  line,  commanded  by  colonel  Anthony 
Wayne,  and  was  directed  to  rendezvous  with  the  other  troops 
at  Chester,  on  the  river  Delaware;  for  which  place  he  com- 
menced his  march  on  the  12th  of  February.  From  Chester,  they 
were  all  soon  afterwards  ordered  to  New  York,  and  from  thence 
towards  Canada.  About  this  time,  a  misunderstanding  unfor- 
tunately arose  between  colonel  Wayne  and  captain  Lacey, 
which  rendered  the  situation  of  the  latter  exceedingly  irksome 
and  unpleasant;  but  he,  nevertheless,  continued  faithfully  to 
serve  out  the  residue  of  an  arduous  campaign,  during  which 
he  was  selected  by  general  Sullivan  to  go  express  into  Cana- 
da, with  communications  to  general  Arnold;  a  hazardous 
expedition,  which  was  accomplished  to  the  entire  satisfaction 
of  the  commanding  general.     When  the  army  went  into  win- 


294  LACEY. 

ter  quarters,  captain  Lacey  sent  in  his  resignation  to  the  coun- 
cil of  safety,  accompanied  by  a  detailed  statement  of  his  rea- 
sons for  a  procedure  so  little  congenial  with  his  wishes  and 
original  views;  but  which  existing  circumstances,  in  his  opi- 
nion, imperiously  required  him  to  adopt.  His  connexions, 
who  were  generally  inimical  to  the  revolution,  hearing  of  his 
resignation,  and  the  reasons  which  induced  it,  seized  the  oc- 
casion to  urge  him  to  abandon  the  pursuit  of  arms,  and  the 
cause  in  which  he  was  engaged:  but  he  was  too  warmly  de- 
voted to  both,  to  listen  to  their  entreaties,  or  to  be  a  passive 
spectator  of  the  contest. 

The  legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  under  the  new  constitu- 
tion, was  in  session  at  Philadelphia,  during  the  ensuing  win- 
ter, and  was  busily  engaged  in  acts  to  organize  the  govern- 
ment. Among  others,  a  militia  law  was  passed  on  the  17th 
of  March,  1777,  by  which  an  important  tribunal  was  estab- 
lished in  each  county,  composed  of  a  lieutenant  and  four  sub- 
lieutenants, with  the  rank  of  colonel  and  lieutenant-colonels, 
respectively.  These  officers  were  to  hold  courts,  to  class  and 
district  the  militia,  to  organize  them  into  regiments  and  com- 
panies, to  hold  the  elections  for  officers,  to  call  out  the  classes, 
find  substitutes  in  the  places  of  delinquents,  and  to  assess  and 
cause  the  assessments  on  delinquents  to  be  collected,  and  paid 
into  the  state  treasury;  with  other  extensive  duties  enume- 
rated in  the  act.  Mr.  Lacey  was  appointed  one  of  the  sub- 
lieutenants of  Bucks  county,  on  the  22d  of  March,  1777;  and 
having  acquired  some  knowledge  of  military  affairs,  during 
the  campaign  of  1776,  was  one  of  the  most  active  and  effi- 
cient in  the  prosecution  of  the  business.  Having  succeeded 
in  organizing  the  militia  of  Bucks,  Mr.  Lacey  carried  in  the 
returns  of  the  officers,  when  he  was  complimented  by  the  ex- 
ecutive council,  as  being  the  first  who  had  complied  with  the 
requisitions  of  the  law.  The  militia  of  the  district  in  which 
Mr.  Lacey  resided,  chose  him  for  their  lieutenant  colonel,  and 
as  the  appointment  did  not  interfere  with  his  duties  of  sub- 
lieutenant, he  was  commissioned  a  lieutenant  colonel  on  the 
6th  of  May,  1777,  and  continued  to  act  in  both  capacities. 

When  the  British  army  got  possession  of  Philadelphia,  af- 
ter the  battle  of  Brandywine,  a  draft  was  made  on  the  mili- 
tia of  Sticks  county,  for  the  purpose  of  relieving  those  whoso 
term  of  service  was  about  to  expire;  and  lieutenant  colonel 
Lacey,  ever'  anxious  and  ready  for  active  employment,  soli- 
cited and  obtained  the  command  of  a  regiment,  from  the  offi- 
cer whose  turn  it  was  to  take  the  field.  Having  collected 
between  three  and  four  hundred  men,  he  marched  from  New- 
town, and  joined  general  Potter's  brigade,  at  Whitcmarsh,  in, 
the  beginning  of  November,  1777.    Whilst  on  this  tour  pf 


LACEY.  295 

duty,  he  was  engaged  in  frequent  skirmishes  with  parties  of  the 
enemy,  particularly  in  one  of  some  severity  near  the  Gulf 
mills,  on  Schuylkill,  from  which  he  had  a  narrow  escape,  in 
consequence  of  his  perseverance  in  rallying  and  encouraging 
the  troops,  in  the  face  of  a  superior  force.  General  Washing- 
ton, in  his  orders  the  next  day,  expressly  complimented  colo- 
nel Lacey's  regiment,  for  its  good  conduct  on  the  occasion. 
After  this  affair,  colonel  Lacey  commanded  a  detachment  of 
militia  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Schuylkill,  until  the  close  of 
the  campaign.  His  active  exertions  in  suppressing  inter- 
course with  the  British,  and  breaking  up  the  iniquitous  traffic 
of  their  adherents,  had  by  this  time  so  strongly  excited  the 
hatred  of  the  tories  and  disaffected,  that  they  menaced  him 
with  personal  vengeance:  but  a  spirit  so  determined,  and  de- 
voted to  the  service,  was  not  to  be  influenced  by  such  conside- 
rations. Their  threats  were  despised,  and  their  denuncia- 
tions disregarded. 

About  the  time  when  colonel  Lacey  was  preparing  to  re- 
tire, at  the  close  of  this  tour  of  duty,  he  received  the  appoint- 
ment of  brigadier  general,  dated  the  9th  of  January,  1778, 
and  was  ordered  immediately  to  relieve  general  Potter.  His 
commission  was  enclosed  in  the  following  letter  from  the  se- 
cretary of  the  executive  council: 

u  Lancaster,  January  9,  1778. 
"  Sir, 

"Enclosed  is  a  commission  authorising  you  to  act  as  a 
brigadier  general  of  the  militia  of  this  state.  I  congratulate 
you  on  this  appointment,  which,  at  the  same  time  that  it  does 
you  honor,  in  acknowledging  your  merit  as  an  officer,  affords 
a  reasonable  hope  for  benefit  to  the  public,  by  calling  you  in- 
to the  field  in  an  important  station.  I  sincerely  wish  you  suc- 
cess, and  am  with  great  respect, 

"Your  very  humble  servant, 

"Ty.  MATLACK,  Secretary. 
"To  brigadier  general  Lacey,  at  Camp." 

General  Lacey  was  not  yet  twenty-three  years  of  age.  when 
he  was  invested  with  this  important  and  very  arduous  com- 
mand. On  receiving  the  appointment,  the  responsibilities  of 
which  might  have  shaken  the  resolution  of  a  more  experienced 
officer,  he  repaired  to  his  post,  and  had  a  most  harrassing  duty 
to  perform,  on  the  lines,  while  the  British  army  occupied 
Philadelphia.  The  utmost  vigilance  was  required,  to  cut  off 
the  intercourse  of  the  tories  with  the  city,  and  also  to  watch 
ihe  movements  of  the  enemy's  parties,  who  denounced  ven- 
geance against  the  new  general,  and  declared  they  would  have 
him,  dead  or  alive.  He  was  incessantly  employed  in  this  ser- 
vice, until  the  middle  of  May,  at  the  head  of  a  fluctuating 


296  LACEY. 

body  of  militia,  whose  force  sometimes  amounted  to  five  hun- 
dred men,  but  was  frequently  reduced  to  less  than  half  that 
number.  On  the  1st  of  May,  owing  to  the  misconduct  of  the 
officer  commanding  the  scouts,  his  camp  was  surprised,  near 
the  Billet,  (now  village  of  Hatborough,)  by  a  strong  detach- 
ment of  the  British,  consisting,  according  to  their  own  ac- 
count, "of  four  hundred  light  infantry,  three  hundred  rang- 
ers, and  a  party  of  light  dragoons,"  under  the  command  of 
colonel  Abererombie.  He  was  assailed  on  all  sides , about  day- 
light, and  was,  for  a  short  time,  in  a  most  perilous  situation. 
He,  however,  determined  on  a  bold  expedient,  and  forming  his 
little  band  with  all  possible  despatch,  he  fought  his  way 
through  the  enemy,  with  the  loss  of  twenty  six  killed,  and  an 
inconsiderable  number  of  wounded  and  prisoners.  The 
wounded,  in  this  affair,  were  treated  with  the  most  wanton  and 
shameful  cruelty,  by  the  British.  Some  of  them  were  thrown 
into  buckwheat-straw,  and  the  straw  set  on  fire  while  they  were 
yet  alive;  and  others  who  had  been  disabled  by  musket  balls, 
were  afterwards  deliberately  hacked  and  mangled  with  cut- 
lasses and  bayonets,  for  the  mere  purpose  as  it  would  seem, 
of  venting  the  rage  and  chagrin  of  the  barbarians,  at  not  hav- 
ing succeeded  more  completely  in  the  object  of  their  expedi- 
tion. The  militia  behaved  with  great  firmness,  on  this  occa- 
sion, which  enabled  their  commander  to  extricate  them  from 
their  dangerous  position,  with  a  comparatively  moderate  loss. 
A  letter  from  council  to  general  Lacey,  dated  May  16,  says, 
"  your  conduct  is  highly  approved,  and  your  men  have  justly 
acquired  great  reputation  by  their  bravery." 

A  number  of  hazardous  enterprizes  in  the  vicinity  of  the 
enemy's  outposts,  requiring  great  address  and  dexterity  in 
the  execution,  were  undertaken  by  general  Lacey,  at  the  re- 
quest of  general  Washington ;  and  were  performed,  for  the 
most  part,  with  entire  success,  and  always  to  the  satisfaction 
of  the  latter.  A  most  unpleasant  duty  was  also  imposed,  by 
the  comander  in  chief,  upon  general  Lacey,  to  be  performed 
amongst  his  neighbours  and  relations;  which  was,  the  derange- 
ment of  their  grist  mills,  and  the  destruction  of  grain,  forage, 
and  other  private  property,  with  a  view  to  distress  the  enemy, 
and  prevent  him  from  drawing  supplies  from  that  part  of  the 
country.  This  painful  service  was  executed,  reluctantly,  in- 
deed, but  with  such  rigid  impartiality  in  all  cases,  that  some 
of  his  connexions  could  hardly  ever  forgive  him  for  it;  not- 
withstanding he  had  acted  under  the  peremptory  orders  of 
general  Washington,  who  believed  that  the  safety  and  best 
interests  of  the  republic  required  the  measure. 

After  the  British  had  evacuated  Philadelphia,  general  Lacey 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  general  assembly,  from  the  county 


LAURENS.  297 

>i  Bucks,  and  took  his  scat  in  November,  1778.  The  year 
following  he  was  elected  to  council,  of  which  he  was  a  mem- 
ber for  the  three  succeeding  years.  In  August,  1780,  gene- 
ral Washington  being  apprehensive  that  the  enemy  intended  to 
aim  another  blow  at  Pennsylvania,  general  Laccy  was  order- 
ed to  Trenton,  in  New-Jersey,  with  a  brigade  of  militia  from 
the  counties  of  Bucks  and  Berks;  and  by  a  correspondence 
Vith  the  president  of  council,  he  appears  to  have  been  in  al- 
most continual  service  until  October.  1781,  when  the  militia 
were  discharged,  and  the  thanks  of  the  council  voted  to  them 
and  their  commander. 

During  this  command  general  Lacey  married  a  daughter 
of  colonel  Thomas  Reynolds,  of  New- Jersey,  and  shortly  af- 
terwards removed  to  that  state  and  settled  at  the  village  of 
New-Mills,  in  Burlington  county,  where  he  became  largely 
concerned  in  iron  works.  He  was,  for  many  years,  an  active 
and  useful  citizen  of  his  adopted  state,  having  been  a  judge 
and  justice  of  the  county  where  he  resided,  and  also  a  mem- 
ber of  the  legislature.  In  the  latter  part  of  his  life  he  was 
much  afflicted  with  gout,  to  which  disease  he  fell  a  victim,  on 
the  17th  of  February,  1814.  aged  59  years. 

General  Lacey  is  represented  by  all  who  knew  him  and 
served  with  him  in  the  revolution,  as  having  been  an  officer 
of  a  remarkable  fine,  martial  appearance,  and  of  the  most  de- 
termined and  enterprizing  character.  All  his  letters,  writ- 
ten under  every  difficulty  and  pressure  of  the  times,  breathe 
the  most  ardent  spirit  of  patriotism  and  inflexible  devotion  to 
the  cause  of  his  country's  liberty  and  independence. 

LAURENS,  Henry,  was  born  in  Charleston,  South  Caro- 
lina,  in  the  year  1724.  He  took  an  early  part  in  opposing  the 
arbitrary  claims  of  Great  Britain,  at  the  commencement  of  the 
American  revolution.  When  the  provincial  congress  of  Ca- 
rolina met  in  June,  1775,  he  was  appointed  its  president;  in 
which  capacity  he  drew  up  a  form  of  association,  to  be  sign- 
ed by  all  the  friends  of  liberty,  which  indicated  a  most  deter- 
mined spirit.  Being  a  member  of  the  general  congress,  after 
the  resignation  of  Hancock,  he  was  appointed  president  of  that 
illustrious  body,  in  November,  1777.  In  1780,  he  was  de= 
puted  to  solicit  a  loan  from  Holland,  and  to  negotiate  at  reaty 
with  the  United  Netherlands  ;  but  on  his  pasage,  he  was  cap- 
tured by  a  British  vessel,  on  the  banks  of  Newfoundland.  He 
threw  his  papers  overboard,  but  they  were  recovered  by  a 
sailor.  Being  sent  to  England,  he  was  committed  to  the  tower, 
on  the  6th  of  October,  as  a  state  prisoner,  upon  a  charge  of 
high  treason.  Here  he  was  confined  more  than  a  year,  and 
was  treated  with  great  severity,  being  denied,  for  the  most 
part,  all  intercourse  with  his  friends,  and  forbidden  the  use  of 

38 


298  LAURENS. 

pen,  ink,  and  paper.  His  capture  occasioned  no  small  em- 
barrassment to  the  ministry.  They  dared  not  condemn  him 
as  a  rebel,  through  fear  of  retaliation ;  and  they  were  unwil- 
ling to  release  him,  lest  he  should  accomplish  the  object  of 
his  mission.  The  discoveries  found  in  his  papers,  led  to  a  war 
with  Great  Britain  and  Holland,  and  Mr.  Adams  was  ap- 
pointed in  his  place  to  carry  on  the  negotiation  with  the  Uni- 
ted Provinces. 

Many  propositions  were  then  made  to  him,  which  were  re- 
pelled with  indignation.  At  length,  news  being  received  that 
his  eldest  son,  a  youth  of  such  uncommon  talents,  exalted  sen- 
timents, and  prepossessing  manners  and  appearance,  that  a 
romantic  interest  is  still  attached  to  his  name,  had  been  ap- 
pointed the  special  minister  of  congress  to  the  French  court, 
and  was  there  urging  the  suit  of  his  country,  with  winning  elo- 
quence, the  father  was  requested  to  write  to  his  son,  and  urge 
his  return  to  America;  it  being  farther  hinted,  that,  as  he  was 
held  a  prisoner,  in  the  light  of  a  rebel,  his  life  should  depend 
upon  compliance.  "My  son  is  of  age,"  replied  the  heroic  fa- 
ther of  an  heroic  son,  "and  has  a  will  of  his  own.  I  know  him 
to  be  a  man  of  honor.  He  loves  me  dearly,  and  would  lay 
down  his  life  to  save  mine;  but  I  am  sure  that  he  would  not 
sacrifice  his  honor  to  save  my  life,  and  I  applaud  him."  This 
veteran  was,  not  many  months  after,  released,  with  a  request 
from  lord  Shelburne  that  he  would  pass  to  the  continent  and 
assist  in  negotiating  a  peace  between  Great  Britain  and  the 
free  United  States  of  America,  and  France  their  ally. 

Towards  the  close  of  the  year  1781,  his  sufferings,  which 
had,  by  that  time,  become  well  known,  excited  the  utmost  sym- 
pathy for  himself,  but  kindled  the  warmest  indignation  against 
the  authors  of  his  cruel  confinement.  Every  attempt  to  draw 
concessions  from  this  inflexible  patriot  having  proved  more 
than  useless,  his  enlargement  was  resolved  upon,  but  difficul- 
ties arose  as  to  the  mode  of  effecting  it.  Pursuing  the  same 
high-minded  course  which  he  had  at  first  adopted,  and  influ- 
enced by  the  noblest  feelings  of  the  heart,  he  obstinately  re- 
fused his  consent  to  any  act  which  might  imply  a  confession 
that  he  was  a  British  subject,  for  as  such  he  had  been  com- 
mitted on  a  charge  of  high  treason.  It  was  finally  proposed 
to  take  bail  for  his  appearance  at  the  court  of  king's  bench, 
and  when  the  words  of  the  recognizance,  "our  sovereign 
lord  the  king,"  were  read  to  Mr.  Laur«ns,  he  distinctly  re- 
plied in  open  court,  "not  my  sovereign!"  With  this  decla- 
ration, he,  with  Messrs.  Oswald  and  Anderson,  as  his  secu- 
rities, were  bound  for  his  appearance  at  the  next  court  of 
king's  bench  for  Easter  term,  and  for  not  departing  without 
leave  of  the  court,  upon  which  he  was  immediately  discharge 


LAURENS.  399 

ed.  When  the  time  appointed  for  his  trial  approached,  he  was 
not  only  exonerated  from  obligation  to  attend,  but  solicited  by 
lord  Shclburneto  depart  for  the  continent  to  assist  in  a  scheme 
for  a  pacification  with  America.  The  idea  of  being  released, 
gratuitously,  by  the  British  government,  sensibly  moved  him, 
for  he  had  invariably  considered  himself  as  a  prisoner  of  war. 
Possessed  of  a  lofty  sense  of  personal  independence,  and  un- 
willing to  be  brought  under  the  slightest  obligation,  he  thus 
expressed  himself,  "I  must  not  accept  myself  as  a  gift;  and 
as  congress  once  offered  general  Burgoyne  for  me,  I  have  no 
doubt  of  their  being  now  willing  tu  offer  earl  Cornwallis  for 
the  same  purpose." 

Close  confinement  in  the  tower  for  more  than  fourteen 
months,  had  shattered  his  constitution,  and  he  was,  ever  af- 
terwards, a  stranger  to  good  health.  As  soon  as  his  discharge 
was  promulgated,  he  received  from  congress  a  commission, 
appointing  him  one  of  their  ministers  for  negotiating  a  peace 
with  Great  Britain.  Arriving  at  Paris,  in  conjunction  with 
Dr.  Franklin,  John  Adams,  and  John  Jay,  he  signed  the  pre- 
liminaries of  peace  on  the  30th  of  November,  1782,  by  which 
the  independence  of  the  United  States  was  unequivocally  ac- 
knowledged. Soon  after  this,  Mr.  Laurens  returned  to  Ca- 
rolina. Entirely  satisfied  with  the  whole  course  of  his  con- 
duct while  abroad,  it  will  readily  be  imagined  that  his  coun- 
trymen refused  him  no  distinctions  within  their  power  to  be- 
stow; but  every  solicitation  to  suffer  himself  to  be  elected  go- 
vernor, member  of  congress,  or  of  the  legislature  of  the  state, 
he  positively  withstood.  When  the  project  of  a  general  con- 
vention for  revising  the  federal  bond  of  union,  was  under 
consideration,  he  was  chosen,  without  his  knowledge,  one  of 
its  members,  but  he  refused  to  serve.  Retired  from  the  world 
and  its  concerns,  he  found  delight  in  agricultural  experiments, 
in  advancing  the  welfare  of  his  children  and  dependants,  and 
in  attentions  to  the  interest  of  his  friends  and  fellow-citizens. 

He  expired  on  the  8th  of  December,  1792,  in  the  sixty-ninth 
year  of  his  age. 

LAURENS,  John,  a  brave  officer  in  the  revolutionary  war, 
was  the  sou  of  the  preceding,  and  was  sent  to  England  for  his  edu- 
cation. He  joined  the  army  in  the  beginning  of  1777,  from  which 
time  he  was  foremost  in  danger.  His  first  essay  in  arms  was 
at  Brandywine.  At  the  battle  of  Germantown,  he  exhibited 
prodigies  of  valour,  in  attempting  to  expel  the  enemy  from 
Chew's  house,  and  was  severely  wounded.  He  was  engaged 
at  Monmouth,  and  greatly  increased  his  reputation  at  Rhode 
Island.  At  Coosawhatchie,  defending  the  pass  with  a  hand- 
ful of  men,  against  the  whole  force  of  Prevost,  he  was  again 
wounded,  and  was  probably  indebted  for  his  Life  to  the  gallan- 


300  LAURENS. 

try  of  captain  Wigg,  who  gave  him  his  horse  to  carry  him 
from  the  field,  when  incapable  of  moving,  his  own  having 
been  shot  under  him.  He  headed  the  light  infantry,  and  was 
among  the  first  to  mount  the  British  lines  at  Savannah  ; 
and  displayed  the  greatest  activity,  zeal  and  courage,  dur- 
ing the  siege  of  Charleston.  He  was  present  and  distin- 
guished himself  in  every  action  of  the  army  under  general 
Washington,  and  was  among  the  first,  who  entered  the  Bri- 
tish lines  at  York  town.  Early  in  1781,  while  he  held 
the  rank  of  lieutenant  colonel,  he  was  selected  by  congress  on 
a  special  mission  to  France  to  solicit  a  loan  of  money,  and  to 
procure  military  stores.  He  arrived  in  March  and  returned 
in  August,  having  been  so  successful  in  the  execution  of  his 
commission,  that  congress  passed  a  vote  of  thanks  for  his  ser- 
vices. Such  was  his  despatch,  that  in  three  days  after  he  re- 
paired to  Philadelphia,  he  finished  his  business  with  congress, 
and  immediately  afterwards  rejoined  the  American  army.  On 
the  twenty  seventh  of  August,  1782,  in  opposing  a  foraging 
party  of  the  British,  near  Combahee  river,  in  South  Carolina, 
he  Avas  mortally  wounded,  and  he  died  at  the  age  of  twenty 
seven  years. 

His  gallantry  in  action  was  highly  characteristic  of  his  love 
of  fame.  The  post  of  danger  was  his  favourite  station.  His 
polite  and  easy  behaviour,  insured  distinction  in  every  so- 
ciety. The  warmth  of  his  heart  gained  the  affection  of  his 
friends,  his  sincerity  their  confidence  and  esteem.  An  insult 
to  his  friend  he  regarded  as  a  wound  to  his  own  honour.  Such 
an  occurrence  led  him  to  engage  in  a  personal  contest  with 
general  Charles  Lee,  who  had  spoken  disrespectfully  of  gen- 
eral Washington.  The  veteran,  who  was  wounded  on  the  oc- 
casion, being  asked;  "How  Laurens  had  conducted  him- 
self?" replied:  "I  could  have  hugged  the  noble  boy,  he  pleased 
me  so." 

The  following  eulogium  on  the  character  of  lieutenant 
colonel  Laurens,  we  copy  from  Marshall's  life  of  Wash- 
ington. 

"This  gallant  and  accomplished  young  gentleman  had  en- 
tered at  an  early  period  of  the  war  into  the  family  of  the 
commander  in  chief,  and  had  always  shared  a  large  portion 
of  his  esteem  and  confidence.  Brave  to  excess,  he  sought 
every  occasion  in  addition  to  those  furnished  by  his  station  in 
the  army,  to  render  services  to  his  country,  and  acquire  that 
military  fame  which  he  pursued  with  the  ardor  of  a  young  sol- 
dier, whose  courage  seems  to  have  partaken  of  that  romantic 
spirit  which  youth  and  enthusiam  produce  in  a  fearless  mind. 
Nor  was  it  in  the  camp  alone  he  was  fitted  to  shine.  His  edu- 
cation was  liberal ;  and  those  who  knew  him  state  his  manners 


LED  YARD.  301 

10  have  been  engaging,  and  his  temper  affectionate.  In  a 
highly  finished  portrait  of  his  character,  drawn  by  Dr.  Ram- 
say, he  says,  that,  u  a  dauntless  bravery  was  the  least  of  his 
virtues,  and  an  excess  of  it  his  greatest  foible." 

LEDYARD,  William,  was  a  brave  officer  in  the  army  of 
the  revolution,  and  was  basely  murdered  by  the  British 
troops,  commanded  by  the  traitor  Arnold,  after  he  had  sur- 
rendered. We  have  collected  the  following  particulars  of  this 
horrible  transaction  from  various  publications.  General  Ar- 
nold was  appointed  to  conduct  an  expedition  against  New 
London,  Connecicut.  his  native  place.  The  embarkation  hav- 
ing passed  over  from  Long  Island  shore  in  the  night,  the, 
troops  were  landed  in  two  detachments  on  each  side  of  the 
harbour,  at  ten  o'clock  in  the  morning  of  the  6th  of  Septem- 
ber; that  on  the  Groton  side  being  commanded  by  lieutenant 
colonel  Eyre,  and  that  on  the  New  London  side  by  general 
Arnold,  who  met  with  no  great  trouble.  Fort  Trumbull  and 
the  redoubt,  which  were  intended  to  cover  the  harbour  and 
town,  not  being  tenable,  were  evacuated  as  he  approached, 
and  the  few  men  in  them  crossed  the  river  to  fort  Griswold, 
on  Groton-hill.  Arnold  proceeded  to  the  town  without  being 
otherwise  opposed  than  by  the  scattered  fire  of  small  parties, 
that  had  hastily  collected.  Orders  were  sent  by  the  general 
to  Eyre  for  attacking  fort  Griswold,  that  so  the  possession  of 
it  might  prevent  the  escape  of  the  American  shipping.  The 
militia,  to  the  amount  of  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven,  collect- 
ed for  its  defence,  but  so  hastily,  as  not  to  be  fully  furnished 
with  fire  arms  and  other  weapons.  As  the  assailants  ap- 
proached, a  firing  commenced,  and  the  flag-staff  was  soon 
shot  down,  from  whence  the  neighbouring  spectators  inferred, 
that  the  place  had  surrendered,  till  the  continuance  of  the 
firing  convinced  them  to  the  contrary.  The  garrison  defend- 
ed themselves  with  great  resolution  and  bravery  ;  Eyre  was 
wounded  near  the  works,  and  major  Montgomery  was  killed 
immediately  after,  so  that  the  command  devolved  on  major 
Broomfield.  The  British  at  one  time  staggered;  but  the  fort 
being  out  of  repair,  could  not  be  maintained  by  a  handful  of 
men  against  so  superior  a  number  as  that  which  assaulted  it. 
After  an  action  of  about  forty  minutes,  the  resolution  of  the 
royal  troops  carried  the  place  by  the  point  of  the  bayonet. 
The  Americans  had  not  more  than  half  a  dozen  killed  before 
the  enemy  entered  the  fort,  when  a  severe  execution  took  place, 
though  resistance  ceased.  The  British  officer  enquired,  on  his 
entering  the  fort,  who  commanded?  colonel  Ledyard  answer- 
ed, "  I  did,  sir,  but  you  do  now;"  and  presented  him  his 
sword.  The  colonel  was  immediately  run  through  and  kill- 
ed.   The  slain  were  seventy-three j   the  wounded  between 


LEh. 

ty  and  forty,  and  about  forty  were  carried  off  prisoner-. 
Soon  after  reducing;  the  fort,  the  soldien  loaded  a  wagon  with 
.     -  -aid.  by  order  of  tbeir  officers,   and  set  the 
was.  p  of  the   hill,  which  is  long  and  very 

stee;. :  _     .  went    a  considerable  distance  with  great 

inly  stopt  by  an  apple  tree,  which  gave 
the  faint  and  b  rnhh  a  shock  that  part  of  them 

died  instantly.'     About  fifteen  vessels,  with  effects   of  the   in- 
habr  treated  up  the  river,  notwithstanding  the  reduc- 

tion of  the  fort,  and  four  others  remained  in  the  harbour  un- 
hurt: a  number  were  burnt  by  the  fire  communicating  from 
n  in  Basses.  Sixty  dwelling  houses  and  eighty 
re  burned,  including  those  on  both  sides  of  the 
harbour  and  in  New  London.  The  burning  of  the  town  was 
intentional,  and  not  accidental.  The  loss  that  the  Americans 
-     •  ined  in  I  r  ;ctiou  was  very  great;  for  there  were 

quantities  of  naval  -  European  goods,  of  East 

■  Iiniia  commodities,  and  of  provisions  in  the  several 
1       British  had  two  commissioned  officers  and  forty 
prrrates  killed:  eight  officer-,  with  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
aoa-coaai  '  and  privates  wounded. 

The  following  is  on  a  head-stone  at  the  grave  of  colonel 
L     yard,  half  a  mile  S.  E.  of  fort  Griswold.  orGroton.  Con 
ut. 

-ACRED   TO  THE  MEMORY 
OF 

WILLIAM  LED  YARD,  esq. 

•    Colonel  commandant  of   the  garrisoned  posts    of  New 
••  L    .•    .   and  Groton,  who.  after  a  gallant  defence,  was,  with 
"a  large  part  of  the  brave  garrison,  inhumanly  massacred  by 
••  British  troops  in  fort  Griswold.  September  6th,  1781.  iEtat. 
By  a  judicious  and  faithful  discharge  of  the  va- 
cation, he  rendered  most  essentia]  servi- 
-    snntry.  and  stood  confessed  the  unshaken  patriot. 
I  hero.     He  lived   the  patron  of  magnanimity. 
irtesy  and  humanity:   He  fell  the  victim  of  ungenerous 
tj  !" 
LEhL.  Richard.  Hf.vry.  president  of  congress,  was  a  na- 
tive of  Virginia,  and  from  his  earliest  youth  devoted  his  ta- 
lents to  I  -  of  his  country.     His  public  life  was  dis- 
tinguished by  some   remarkable  circumstances.     He  had  the 
honour  of  originating  the  first  resistance  to  British  oppres- 
sion, in  the  time  of  the  stamp  act.  in  1765.     He  proposed  in 
the  Virginia  boose  of  bnrgesses,  in  1773.  the  formation  of  a 
committee  of  correspondence,  whose  object  was  to  disseminate 
information,  and  to  kindle  the  flame  of  liberty  throughout  the 
continent.     He  was  a  member  of  the  first  congress,  and  it 


LEE. 

-  he  who  made  and  ably  supported  the  motion  for  tL 
Jaratio!.  :endence.  Jur.~   10,   .""         The  motion  was 

seconded  by  Mr.  Join  A::..:1..-.     :  >1   ssachose: 

He  delivered  a  speech  in  support  of  his  motion  to  declare 
the  colonies  independent,  from  which  we  give  the  following 

'•  Who  doubts  ihen  that  a  declaration  of  independence 
procure  us  allies  :  All  nations  are  desirous  of  procurir.: 

:  our  exubeic  I  -  they  will 
visit  our  ports  hitherto  closed  by  the  monopoly  of  insatiable 
England.     J%e}    are  no  less  eagei  "  mplate  the  redoc- 

tion  of  her  hated  power  :  they  all  loathe  her  barbarous  domi- 

-  e  to  our  brave  country  me: 

gratitude  they  bear  them  f        tving  been  the  first  to  shake  the 
foundation  oi  ":    -    Coloosns.      F   reiani  princes  wait  onl; 

tionof  all  hazard  of  reconciliation  to  throw  off  their 

-  kt  reserve.      1.  :'.. is  measure  is  useful,  it  is  no  les>  becom- 
ing our  dignity.     America  ha?  arrived  at  a  degree  of  ■ 
which    .--  _    -     !■  a  place  among  indepenc  We 
are  i    tless    ntitled  to  it  than  the   Ragfisa  themselves.      If 

e  wealth,  so  have  we  :  if  they  are  I  are  we  : 

if  they  are  more  mime;      -.       r  population,  through  the  incre- 
dible froitl        n    'f  our  chaste  wives.  will  boob  equal  theirs: 
.ve  men  of  renown,  as  well  in  peace  as  in  war,  we 
likewise  have  such  :  for  political  revolutions  usually  produce 
rave,  and  generous  -   i    Is.      Fi\>ai  what  we 
y  achieved  in  these  painful  beginnings,  it  is  easy  to  pre- 
sume what  we  shall  hereafter  accomplish,  for  experience  is  the 
source  of  sag       mnsels,  and   liberty  is  the  mother  of  great 
men.     Have  you  not  seen  the  enemy  driven  fron  Lexington, 
by  thirty  thousand  civ.      -      mod  and  ass 
Already  their  most  ted  generals  vieModia  H 

to  the  -kill  off  ours:  already  their  seamen,  repulsed  from  our 
its,  wander  over  the  ocean,  where  they   are   the   sport 
of    the    tempest,    and   the   prey  of  famine.     Let  us  kail  the 

tirablc  omen,  and  fight,  not  for  the  sake  of  kwowiag 
wiiat  tanas  we  are  to  be  the  slaves  of  England,  but  to  secure 
to  ourselves  a  free  existence,  to  found  a  just  and  independent 
eminent.   Animated  by  liberty,        &        ij         -  .'in- 

numerable army  of  Persians:  sustained  by  the  love  of  indepen- 
dence, the  Swiss  and  the  Dutch  humbled  the  power        \   9- 
tria  by  memorable  defeat-,  and  conquered  a  rank  among  na- 
tions.    But  the  sun  of  America  also  shines  upon  the 
the  brave:  the  point  oi  our  -  is  no  less  formidable  than 

theirs;  here  also  the  same  union  p     ...  -     he  same  contempt 
of  danger  and  of  death  in  asserting  the  our  country. 

••  W  hy  then  do  we  looser  delay  :  way  -till  deliberate       /  ■ 


304  LEE. 

this  most  happy  day  give  birth  to  the  American  Republic.  Let 
her  arise,  not  to  devastate  and  conquer,  but  to  re-establish  the 
reign  of  peace  and  of  the  laws.  The  eyes  of  Europe  are  fixed 
upon  us  !  she  demands  of  us  a  living  example  of  freedom,  that 
may  contrast,  by  the  felicity  of  the  citizens,  with  the  ever  in- 
creasing tyranny  which  desolates  her  polluted  shores.  She 
invites  us  to  prepare  an  asylum  where  the  unhappy  may  find 
solace,  and  the  persecuted,  repose.  She  intreats  us  to  culti- 
vate a  propitious  soil,  where  that  generous  plant,  which  first 
sprung  up  and  grew  in  England,  but  is  now  withered  by  the 
poisonous  blasts  of  Scottish  tyranny,  may  revive  and  flourish, 
sheltering  under  its  salubrious  and  interminable  shade  all  the 
unfortunate  of  the  human  race.  This  is  the  end  presaged  by 
so  many  omens,  by  our  first  victories,  by  the  present  ardour 
and  union,  by  the  flight  of  Howe,  and  the  pestilence  which 
broke  out  amongst  Dunmore's  people,  by  the  very  winds  which 
baffled  the  enemy's  fleets  and  transports,  and  that  terrible 
tempest  which  ingulfed  seven  hundred  vessels  upon  the  coast 
of  Newfoundland.  If  we  are  not  this  day  wanting  in  our 
duty  to  the  country,  the  names  of  the  American  legislators 
will  be  exalted,  in  the  eyes  of  posterity,  to  a  level  with  those 
of  Theseus,  Lycurcus,  of  Romulus,  of  Numa.  of  the  three 
Williams  of  Nassau,  and  of  all  those  whose  memory  has  been, 
and  will  be,  forever  dear  to  virtuous  men  and  good  citizens." 

After  the  adoption  of  the  articles  of  the  confederation,  Mr. 
Lee  was  under  the  necessity  of  withdrawing  from  congress, 
as  no  representative  was  allowed  to  continue  in  congress  more 
than  three  years  in  any  term  of  six  years:  but  he  was  re-elect- 
ed in  1784,  and  continued  till  1787.  In  November,  1784,  he 
was  chosen  president  of  congress.  When  the  constitution  of 
the  United  States  was  submitted  to  the  consideration  of  the 
public,  he  cohtended  for  the  necessity  of  amendments  previous- 
ly to  its  adoption.  After  the  government  was  organized,  he 
was  chosen  one  of  the  first  senators  from  Virginia,  in  1789. 
This  station  he  held  till  his  resignation,  in  1792. 

Mr.  Lee  died  at  his  seat  at  Chantilly,  in  Westmoreland 
county,  Virginia,  June  22,  1 794,  in  the  sixty-third  year  of  his 
age.  He  supported  through  life  the  character  of  a  philoso- 
pher, a  patriot,  and  a  sage ;  and  he  died,  as  he  had  lived, 
blessing  his  country. 

LEE,  Henry,  a  distinguished  officer  in  the  revolutionary 
war,  entered  the  army  as  a  captain  of  cavalry,  in  the  Virginia 
line,  at  the  age  of  nineteen,  in  which  situation  he  soon  com- 
manded the  respect  and  attention  of  his  country,  by  his  active 
and  daring  enterprize,  and  the  confidence  of  the  illustrious 
commander  in  chief  of  the  military  forces  of  the  United  States  ; 
a  confidence  which  continued  through  life.     He  was  rapidly 


LEE.  3U5 

promoted  to  the  rank  of  major,  and  soon  after,  to  that  of  lieu- 
tenant colonel  commandant  of  a  separate  legionary  corps. 
While  major,  he  planned  and  executed  the  celebrated  attack 
on  the  enemy's  post  at  Paulas  Hook,  opposite  to  the  city  of 
New  York,  their  head  quarters;  surprised  and  took  the  gar- 
rison, under  the  eye  of  the  British  army  and  navy,  and  safely 
conducted  his  prisoners  into  the  American  lines,  many  miles 
distant  from  the  post  taken.  There  are  few  enterprises  to  be 
found  on  military  record,  equal  in  hazard  or  difficulty,  or 
conducted  with  more  consummate  skill  and  daring  courage. 
It  was,  too,  accomplished  without  loss;  filled  the  camp  of  the 
enemy  with  shame  and  astonishment;  and  shed  an  unfading 
lustre  on  the  American  arms.  Some  time  after,  he  accompa- 
nied general  Greene  to  the  southern  department  of  the  United 
States,  subsequent  to  the  memorable  and  disastrous  battle  of 
Camden,  which  reduced  under  the  power  of  the  enemy  the 
three  states  of  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina  and  Georgia. 
The  many  brilliant  achievements  which  he  performed  in  that 
difficult  and  arduous  war,  under  this  celebrated  and  consum- 
mate commander,  it  is  not  necessary  to  enumerate;  they  are 
so  many  illustrious  monuments  of  American  courage  and 
prowess,  which,  in  all  future  ages,  will  be  the  theme  of  histo- 
rical praise;  of  grateful  recollection  by  his  countrymen,  and 
of  ardent  imitation  by  every  brave  and  patriotic  soldier. 
Those  states  were  recovered  from  the  enemy.  The  country 
enjoys  in  peace,  independence  and  liberty,  the  benefits  of  his 
useful  services.  All  that  remains  of  him  is  a  grave,  and  the 
glory  of  his  deeds. 

At  the  close  of  the  revolutionary  war,  he  returned  to  the 
walks  of  civil  life.  He  was  often  a  member  of  the  legisla- 
ture of  Virginia,  one  of  its  delegates  to  congress,  under  the 
confederation,  and  one  of  the  convention  which  adopted  the 
present  constitution  of  the  United  States,  and  which  he  sup- 
ported; three  years  governor  of  the  state,  and  afterwards  a 
representative  in  the  congress  of  the  United  States,  under  the 
present  organization. 

While  governor  of  Virginia,  lie  was  selected  by  president 
Washington,  to  command  the  army  sent  to  quell  the  insurrec- 
tion which  had  been  excited  from  untoward  and  erroneous  im- 
pressions in  the  western  counties  of  Pennsylvania,  in  which 
he  had  the  felicity  to  bring  to  order  and  obedience  the  mis- 
guided inhabitants  without  shedding  the  blood  of  one  fellow- 
citizen.  He  possessed  this  peculiar  characteristic  as  a  mili- 
tary commander,  of  being  always  careful  of  the  health  and 
lives  of  his  soldiers,  never  exposing  them  to  unnecessary 
toils,  or  fruitless  hazards;  always  keeping  them  in  readiness 
for  useful  and  important  enterprizes.     Every  public  station 


306  LEE. 

to  which  he  was  called,  he  filled  with  dignity  and  propriety. 
He  died  on  the  25th  of  March,  1818,  at  the  house  of  a  friend 
on  Cumberland  island,  Georgia,  on  his  return  from  the 
West  Indies  to  his  native  state,  Virginia,  in  the  sixty-first 
year  of  his  age. 

In  private  life  he  was  kind,  hospitable  and  generous.  Too 
ardent  in  the  pursuit  of  his  objects;  too  confident  in  others, 
he  wanted  that  prudence  which  is  necessary  to  guard  against, 
imposition  and  pecuniary  losses,  and  accumulate  wealth. 
Like  many  other  illustrious  commanders  and  patriots,  he  died 
poor. 

He  has  left  behind  him  a  valuable  historical  work,  entitled, 
''Memoirs  of  the  War  in  the  Southern  Department  of  the 
United  States,"  in  which  the  difficulties  and  privations  en- 
dured by  the  patriotic  army  employed  in  that  quarter;  their 
courage  and  enterprise,  and  the  skill  and  talents  of  their 
faithful,  active  and  illustrious  commander,  are  displayed  in 
never-fading  colours;  a  work,  to  use  the  language  of  the  pub- 
lishers, by  the  perusal  of  which  'the  patriot  will  be  always 
delighted,  the  statesman  informed,  and  the  soldier  instructed: 
which  bears  in  every  part  the  ingenious  stamp  of  a  patriot 
soldier;  and  cannot  fail  to  interest  all  who  desire  to  under- 
stand the  causes,  and  to  know  the  difficulties  of  our  memo- 
rable struggle.  The  facts  may  be  relied  on,  "  all  of  which 
he  saw,  and  part  of  which  he  was." 

Fortune  seems  to  have  conducted  him,  at  the  close  of  his 
life,  almost  to  the  tomb  of  Greene,  and  his  bones  may  now 
repose  by  the  side  of  those  of  his  beloved  chief;  friends  in 
life,  united  in  death,  and  partners  in  a  never-dying  fame. 

LEE,  Ezra,  was  a  brave  officer  in  the  revolutionary  ar- 
my. It  is  not  a  little  remarkable  that  this  officer  is  the  only 
man,  of  which  it  can  be  said,  that  he  fought  the  enemy  upon 
land,  upon  water,  and  under  the  water;  the  latter  mode  of 
warfare  was  as  follows: 

'When  the  British  fleet  lay  in  the  North  River,  opposite  the 
city  of  New-York,  and  while  general  Washington  had  posses- 
sion of  the  city,  he  was  very  desirous  to  be  rid  of  such  neigh- 
bors. A  Mr.  David  Bushnell,  of  Saybrook,  Connecticut,  who 
had  the  genius  of  a  Fulton,  constructed  a  sub-marine  machine, 
of  a  conical  form,  bound  together  with  iron  bands,  within 
which  one  person  might  sit,  and  with  cranks  and  skulls,  could 
navigate  it  to  any  depth  under  water.  In  the  upper  part  was 
affixed  a  vertical  screw  for  the  purpose  of  penetrating  ships* 
bottoms,  and  to  this  was  attached  a  magazine  of  powder,  with- 
in which  was  a  clock,  which  on  being  set  to  run  any  given 
time,  would,  when  run  down,  spring  a  gun-lock,  and  an  ex- 
plosion would  follow.  This  marine  Turtle,  so  called,  was  ex- 


LEE.  307 

amined  by  general  Washington,  and  approved.  To  preserve 
secrecy,  it  was  experimented  within  an  inclosed  yard,  over 
twenty  to  thirty  feet  water,  and  kept  during  day  light  locked 
in  a  vessel's  hold.  The  brother  of  the  inventor  was  to  he  the 
person  to  navigate  the  machine  into  action,  but  on  sinking  it 
the  first  time,  he  declined  the  service. 

General  Washington,  unwilling  to  relinquish  the  object,  re- 
quested major  general  Parsons  to  select  a  person,  in  whom  he 
could  confide,  voluntarily  to  engage  in  the  enterprize;  the 
latter  being  well  acquainted  with  the  heroic  spirit,  the  patriot- 
ism, and  the  firm  and  steady  courage  of  captain  Ezra  Lee, 
immediately  communicated  the  plan  and  the  offer,  which 
he  accepted,  observing  that  his  life  was  at  general  Wash- 
ington's service.  After  practising  the  machine  until  he  un- 
derstood its  powers  of  balancing  and  moving  under  water, 
a  night  was  fixed  upon  for  the  attempt.  General  Washington 
and  his  associates  in  the  secret  took  their  station  upon  the  roof 
of  a  house  in  Broadway,  anxiously  waiting  the  result.  Morn- 
ing came  and  no  intelligence  could  be  had  of  the  intrepid  sub- 
marine navigator,  nor  could  the  boat  which  attended  him 
give  any  account  of  him  after  parting  with  him  the  first  part 
of  the  night.  While  these  anxious  spectators  were  about  to 
give  him  up  as  lost,  several  barges  were  seen  to  start  sudden- 
ly from  Governor's  Island,  (then  in  possession  of  the  British) 
and  proceed  towards  some  object  near  the  Asia  ship  of  the 
line;  as  suddenly  they  were  seen  to  put  about  and  steer  for 
the  island  with  springing  oars.  In  two  or  three  minutes  an 
explosion  took  place,  from  the  surface  of  the  water,  resemb- 
ling a  water-spout,  which  aroused  the  whole  city  and  region; 
the  enemy's  ships  took  the  alarm;  signals  were  rapidly  given; 
the  ships  cut  their  cables  and  proceeded  to  the  Hook  with  all 
possible  despatch,  sweeping  their  bottoms  with  chains,  and 
with  difficulty  prevented  their  affrighted  crews  from  leaping 
overboard. 

During  this  scene  of  consternation  the  deceased  came  to  the 
surface,  opened  the  brass  head  of  his  aquatic  machine,  rose 
up  and  gave  a  signal  for  the  boat  to  come  to  him,  but  they 
could  not  reach  him  until  he  again  descended  under  water,  to 
avoid  the  enemy's  shot  from  the  island,  who  had  discovered 
him  and  commenced  firing  in  his  wake.  Having  forced  him- 
self against  a  strong  current  under  water,  until  without  the 
reach  of  shot,  he  was  taken  in  tow  and  landed  at  the  battery 
amidst  a  great  crowd,  and  reported  himself  to  general  Wash- 
ington, who  expressed  his  entire  satisfaction  that  the  object 
was  effected  without  the  loss  of  lives.  Captain  Lee  was  un- 
der the  Asia's  bottom  more  than  two  hours,  endeavoring  to 
penetrate  her  copper,  but  in  vain.     He  frequently  came  up  un- 


308  LINCOLN. 

der  her  stern  galleries  searching  for  exposed  plank,  and  could 
hear  the  centincls  cry.  Once  he  was  discovered  by  the  watch 
on  deck,  and  heard  them  speculate  upon  him,  but  concluded  a 
drifted  log  had  paid  them  a  visit.  He  returned  to  her  keel  and 
examined  it  fore  and  aft,  and  then  proceeded  to  some  other 
ships;  but  the  impossibility  of  penetrating  their  copper,  foi 
want  of  a  resisting  power,  hundreds  owed  the  safety  of  their 
lives  to  this  circumstance.  The  longest  space  of  time  he  could 
remain  under  water  was  two  hours. 

Captain  Lee,  during  the  war,  ever  had  the  confidence  and 
esteem  of  the  commander  in  chief,  and  was  frequently  employ- 
ed by  him  on  secret  missions  of  importance.  He  fought  with 
him  at  Trenton  and  Monmouth  ;  at  Brandywine  the  hilt  of  his 
sword  was  shot  away,  and  his  hat  and  coat  were  penetrated 
with  the  enemy's  halls,  On  the  return  of  peace,  he  laid  aside 
the  habiliments  of  war,  and  returned  to  his  farm,  where,  like 
Cincinnatus,  he  tilled  his  lands,  until  now  called  by  the  great 
commander  in  chief  to  the  regions  above. 

He  died  at  Lyme,  Connecticut,  on  the  29th  October,  1821, 
aged  seventy-two  years. 

LINCOLN,  Benjamin,  was  born  in  Hingham,  Massachu- 
setts, January  23,  1733.  His  early  education  was  not  auspi- 
cious to  his  future  eminence,  and  his  vocation  was  that  of  a 
farmer,  till  he  was  more  than  forty  years  of  age,  though  he 
was  commissioned  as  a  magistrate,  and  elected  a  representa- 
tive in  the  state  legislature.  In  the  year  1775,  he  sustained 
the  office  of  lieutenant  colonel  of  militia,  and  having  espous- 
ed the  cause  of  his  country  as  a  firm  and  determined  whig,  he 
was  elected  a  member  of  the  provincial  congress,  and  one  of 
the  secretaries  of  that  body,  and  also  a  member  of  the  com- 
mittee of  correspondence.  In  1776,  he  was  appointed  by  the 
council  of  Massachusetts  a  brigadier,  and  soon  after  a  major 
general,  and  he  applied  himself  assiduously  to  training  and 
preparing  the  militia  for  actual  service  in  the  field,  in  which 
ne  displayed  the  military  talent  he  possessed.  In  October,  he 
marched  with  a  body  of  militia  and  joined  the  main  army  at 
New  York.  The  commander  in  chief,  from  a  knowledge  of 
his  character  and  merit,  recommended  hiin  to  congress  as  an 
excellent  officer,  and  in  February,  1777,  he  was  by  that  ho- 
norable body  created  a  major  general  on  the  continental  esta- 
blishment. For  several  months  he  commanded  a  division,  or 
detachments  in  the  main  army,  under  Washington,  and  was 
in  situations  which  required  the  exercise  of  the  utmost  vigi- 
lance and  caution,  as  well  as  firmness  and  courage.  Having 
the  command  of  about  five  hundred  men  in  an  exposed  situa- 
tion near  Bound  Brook,  through  the  neglect  of  his  patroles, 
a  large  body  of  the  enemy  approached,  within  two  hundred 


LINCOLN.  309 

yards  of  his  quarters  undiscovered;  the  general  had  scarcely 
time  to  mount  and  leave  the  house,  before  it  was  surrounded. 
He  led  off  his  troops,  however,  in  the  face  of  the  enemy,  and 
made  good  his  retreat,  though  with  the  loss  of  about  sixty 
men  killed  and  wounded.  One  of  his  aids,  with  the  general's 
baggage  and  papers,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  as  did 
also  three  small  pieces  of  artillery.  In  July,  1777,  general 
Washington  selected  him  to  join  the  northern  army  under  the 
command  of  general  Gates,  to  oppose  the  advance  of  general 
Burgoyne.  He  took  his  station  at  Manchester,  in  Vermont, 
to  receive  and  form  the  New  England  militia,  as  they  arriv- 
ed, and  to  order  their  march  to  the  rear  of  the  British  army. 
He  detached  colonel  Brown,  with  five  hundred  men,  on  the 
JLSthof  September,  to  the  lauding  at  lake  George,  where  he 
succeeded  in  surprising  the  enemy,  took  possession  of  two 
hundred  batteaux,  liberated  one  hundred  American  prisoners, 
and  captured  two  hundred  and  ninety-three  of  the  enemy, 
with  the  loss  of  only  three  killed  and  five  wounded.  This 
enterprise  was  of  the  highest  importance,  and  contributed  es- 
sentially to  the  glorious  event  which  followed.  Having  de- 
tached two  other  parties  to  the  enemy's  posts  at  Mount  Inde- 
pendence and  Skeensborough,  general  Lincoln  united  his  re- 
maining force  with  the  army  under  general  Gates,  and  was 
the  second  in  command.  During  the  sanguinary  conflict  on 
the  7th  of  October,  general  Lincoln  commanded  within  our 
lines,  and  at  one  o'clock  the  next  morning,  he  marched  with 
his  division  to  relieve  the  troops  that  had  been  engaged,  and 
to  occupy  the  battle  ground,  the  enemy  having  retreated. 
While  on  this  duty  he  had  occasion  to  ride  forward  some  dis- 
tance, to  reconnoitre,  and  to  order  some  disposition  of  his 
own  troops,  when  a  party  of  the  enemy  made  an  unexpected 
movement,  and  he  approached  within  musket  shot  before  he 
was  aware  of  his  mistake.  A  whole  volley  of  musketry  was  in- 
stantly discharged  at  him  and  his  aids,  and  he  received  a 
wound  by  which  the  bones  of  his  leg  were  badly  fractured, 
and  he  was  obliged  to  be  carried  off  the  field.  The  wound 
was  a  formidable  one,  and  the  loss  of  his  limb  was  for  some 
time  apprehended.  He  was  for  several  months  confined  at 
Albany,  and  it  became  necessary  to  remove  a  considerable 
portion  of  the  main  bone  before  he  was  conveyed  to  his  house 
at  Hingham,  and  under  this  painful  surgical  operation,  the 
writer  of  this  being  present,  witnessed  in  him  a  degree  of 
firmness  and  patience  not  to  be  exceeded.  I  have  known  him, 
says  colonel  Rice,  who  was  a  member  of  his  military  family, 
during  the  most  painful  operation  by  the  surgeon,  while  by- 
standers were  frequently  obliged  to  leave  the  room,  entertain 
us  with  some  pleasant  anecdote,  or  story,  and  draw  forth  a 


S10  LINCOLN. 

smile  from  his  friends.  His  wound  continued  several  years 
in  an  ulcerated  state,  and  by  the  loss  of  the  bone  the  limb  was 
shortened,  which  occasioned  lameness  during  the  remainder 
of  his  life.  General  Lincoln  certainly  afforded  very  import- 
ant assistance  in  the  capture  of  Burgoyne,  though  it  was  his 
unfortunate  lot,  while  in  active  duty,  to  be  disabled  before  he 
could  participate  in  the  capitulation.  Though  his  recovery 
was  not  complete,  he  repaired  to  head  quarters  in  the  follow- 
ing August,  and  was  joyfully  received  by  the  commander  in 
chief,  who  well  knew  how  to  appreciate  his  merit  It  was 
from  a  developement  of  his  estimable  character  as  a  man, 
and  his  talent  as  a  military  commander,  that  he  was  desig- 
nated by  congress  for  the  arduous  duties  of  the  chief  command 
in  the  southern  department,  under  innumerable  embarrass- 
ments. On  his  arrival  at  Charleston,  December,  1778,  he 
found  that  he  had  to  form  an  army,  to  provide  supplies,  and 
to  arrange  the  various  departments,  that  he  might  be  able  to 
cope  with  an  enemy  consisting  of  experienced  officers  and  ve- 
teran troops.  This,  it  is  obvious,  required  a  man  of  superior 
powers,  indefatigable  perseverance,  and  unconquerable  energy. 
Had  not  these  been  his  inherent  qualities,  Lincoln  must  have 
yielded  to  the  formidable  obstacles  which  opposed  his  pro- 
gress. About  the  28th  of  December,  general  Prevost  arrived 
with  a  fleet,  and  about  three  thousand  British  troops,  and  took 
possession  of  Savannah,  after  routing  a  small  party  of  Ame- 
ricans, under  general  Robert  Howe.  General  Lincoln  im- 
mediately put  his  troops  in  motion,  and  took  post  on  the  east- 
ern side  of  the  river,  about  twenty  miles  from  the  city  ;  but 
he  was  not  in  force  to  commence  offensive  operations,  till  the 
last  of  February.  In  April,  with  the  view  of  covering  the 
upper  part  of  Georgia,  he  marched  to  Augusta,  after  which 
Prevost,  the  British  commander,  crossed  the  river  into  Caro- 
lina, and  marched  for  Charleston.  General  Lincoln,  there- 
fore, recrossed  the  Savannah,  and  followed  his  route,  and  on 
his  arrival  near  the  city,  the  enemy  had  retired  from  before  it 
during  the  previous  night. 

He  joined  the  count  D'Estaing  in  September,  1779,  with 
one  thousand  men,  in  the  bold  assault  on  Savannah.  On  the 
9th  of  October,  in  the  morning,  the  troops  were  led  on  by 
D'Estaing,  and  Lincoln  united,  while  a  column  led  by  count 
Dillion  missed  their  route  in  the  darkness,  and  failed  of  the 
intended  co-operation.  Amidst  a  most  appalling  fire  of  the 
covered  enemy,  the  allied  troops  forced  the  abbatis,  and  plant- 
ed two  standards  on  the  parapets.  But  being  overpowered  at 
the  point  of  attack,  they  were  compelled  to  retire;  the  French 
having  seven  hundred,  the  Americans  two  hundred  and  forty 
killed  and  wounded.     The  count  Pulaski,  at  the  head  of  a 


LINCOLN.  311 

body  of  our  horse,  was  mortally  wounded.  General  Lincoln 
next  repaired  to  Charleston,  and  endeavoured  to  put  that  city 
in  a  posture  of  defence,  urgently  requesting  of  congress  a  re- 
inforcement of  regular  troops,  and  additional  supplies,  whicb 
were  but  partially  complied  with.  In  February,  1780,  gene- 
ral sir  Henry  Clinton  arrived,  and  landed  a  formidable  force 
in  the  vicinity,  and  on  the  30th  of  March,  encamped  in  front 
of  the  American  lines  at  Charleston.  Considering  the  vast 
superiority  of  the  enemy,  both  in  sea  and  land  forces,  it  might 
be  questioned  whether  prudence  and  correct  judgment,  would 
dictate  an  attempt  to  defend  the  city;  it  will  not  be  supposed, 
however,  that  the  determination  was  formed  without  the  most 
mature  deliberation,  and  for  reasons  perfectly  justifiable.  It 
is  well  known  that  the  general  was  in  continual  expectation  of 
an  augmentation  of  strength  by  reinforcements.  On  the  10th 
of  April,  the  enemy  having  made  some  advances,  summoned 
the  garrison  to  an  unconditional  surrender,  which  was  prompt- 
ly refused.  A  heavy  and  incessant  cannonade  was  sustained 
on  each  side,  till  the  11th  of  May,  when  the  besiegers  had 
completed  their  third  parallel  line,  and  having  made  a  second 
demand  of  surrender,  a  capitulation  was  agreed  on. 

It  is  to  be  lamented  that,  with  all  the  judicious  and  vigorous 
efforts  in  his  power,  general  Lincoln  was  requited  only  by  the 
frowns  of  fortune,  whereas  had  he  been  successful  in  his  bold 
enterprise  and  views,  he  would  have  been  crowned  with  un- 
fading laurels.  But  notwithstanding  a  series  of  disappoint- 
ments and  unfortunate  occurrences,  he  was  censured  by  no 
one,  nor  was  his  judgment  or  merit  called  in  question.  He  re- 
tained his  popularity  and  the  confidence  of  the  army,  and  was 
considered  as  a  most  zealous  patriot,  and  the  bravest  of  sol- 
diers. "The  motives  and  feelings  that  prompted  general 
Lincoln  rather  to  risk  a  siege  than  to  evacuate  Charleston, 
were  most  honourable  to  him  as  a  man  and  a  soldier.  There 
was  such  a  balance  of  reasons  on  the  question,  as  under  the 
existing  circumstances  should  exempt  his  decision  from  blame 
or  distrust.  He  could  not  calculate  on  the  despondence  and 
inactivity  of  the  people  who  should  come  to  his  succour.  The 
suspense  and  anxiety,  the  toil  and  hazard  attending  the  siege, 
gave  the  fullest  scope  to  his  wisdom,  patience  and  valour. 
His  exertions  were  incessant.  He  was  on  the  lines  night  and 
day,  and  for  the  last  fortnight  never  undressed  to  sleep." 
Notwithstanding  this  unfortunate  termination  of  his  command, 
so  established  was  the  spotless  reputation  of  the  vanquished 
general,  that  he  continued  to  enjoy  the  undiminished  respect 
and  confidence  of  the  congress,  the  army,  and  the  commander 
in  chief.  «'  Great  praise  is  due  to  general  Lincoln,"  says  Dr. 
Ramsay,  "for  his  judicious  and  spirited  conduct  in  baffling 


Slfi  LINCOLN. 

for  three  months  the  greatly  superior  force  of  sir  Henry 
Clinton  and  admiral  Arbuthnot.  Though  Charleston  and  the 
southern  army  were  lost,  yet  by  their  long  protracted  defence 
the  British  plans  were  not  only  retarded,  but  deranged,  and 
North  Carolina  was  saved  for  the  remainder  of  the  year 
1780." 

General  Lincoln  was  permitted  to  his  parole,  and  in  No- 
vember following,  he  was  exchanged  for  major  general  Phil- 
lips, a  prisoner  of  the  convention  of  Saratoga.  In  the  cam- 
paign of  1781,  general  Lincoln  commanded  a  division  under 
Washington,  and  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown  he  had  his  full 
share  of  the  honour  of  that  brilliant  and  auspicious  event. 
The  articles  of  capitulation  stipulated  for  the  same  honour  in 
favour  of  the  surrendering  army,  as  had  been  granted  to  the 
garrison  of  Charleston.  General  Lincoln  was  appointed  to 
conduct  them  to  the  field  where  their  arms  were  deposited, 
and  received  the  customary  submission.  In  the  general  or- 
der of  the  commander  in  chief,  the  day  after  the  capitulation, 
general  Lincoln  was  among  the  general  officers  whose  servi- 
vices  were  particularly  mentioned.  In  October,  1781,  he 
was  chosen  by  congress  secretary  at  war,  retaining  his  rank 
in  the  army.  .In  this  office  he  continued  till  October,  1783, 
when  his  proffered  resignation  was  accepted  by  congress,  as 
follows:  "  Resolved,  that  the  resignation  of  major  general 
Lincoln,  as  secretary  of  war  for  the  United  States,  be  accept- 
ed in  consideration  of  the  earnest  desire  which  he  expresses, 
the  objects  of  the  war  being  so  happily  accomplished,  to  retire 
to  private  life,  and  that  he  be  informed  that  the  United  States 
in  congress  assembled,  entertain  a  high  sense  of  his  perse- 
verance, fortitude,  activity  and  meritorious  services  in  the 
field,  as  well  as  of  his  diligence,  fidelity,  and  capacity  in  the 
execution  of  the  office  of  secretary  at  war,  which  important 
trust  he  has  discharged  to  their  entire  approbation."  Hav- 
ing relinquished  the  duties  and  cares  of  a  public  employ- 
ment, he  retired  and  devoted  his  attention  to  his  farm;  but  in 
1784,  he  was  chosen  one  of  the  commissioners  and  agents  on 
the  part  of  the  state,  to  make  and  execute  a  treaty  with  the 
Penobscot  Indians.  When  in  the  year  1786 — 7,  the  authority 
of  the  state  government  was  in  a  manner  prostrated,  and  the 
country  alarmed  by  a  most  audacious  spirit  of  insurrection, 
under  the  guidance  of  Shays  and  Day,  general  Lincoln  was 
appointed  by  the  governor  and  council,  to  command  a  detach- 
ment of  militia,  consisting  of  four  or  five  thousand  men  to 
oppose  their  progress,  and  compel  them  to  a  submission  to  the 
laws.  He  marched  from  Boston  on  the  20th  of  January,  into 
the  counties  of  Worcester,  Hampshire,  and  Berkshire,  where 
The  insurgents  had  erected  their  standard.     They  were  em~ 


LINCOLN.  S13 

bodied  in  considerable  force,  and  manifested  a  determined  re- 
sistance, and  a  slight  skirmish  ensued  between  them  and  a 
party  of  militia  under  general  Shepherd.  Lincoln,  however, 
conducted  with  such  address  and  energy,  that  the  insurgents 
Avere  routed  from  one  town  to  another,  till  they  were  com- 
pletely dispersed  in  all  directions;  and  by  his  wise  and  pru- 
dent measures,  the  insurrection  was  happily  suppressed  with- 
out bloodshed,  excepting  a  few  individuals  who  were  slain 
under  general  Shepherd's  command.  At  the  May  election, 
1787,  general  Lincoln  was  elected  lieutenant  governor  by  the 
legislature,  having  had  a  plurality  of  votes  by  the  people. 
He  was  a  member  of  the  convention  for  ratifying  the  federal 
constitution,  and  in  the  summer  of  1789,  he  received  from 
president  Washington  the  appointment  of  collector  of  the  port 
of  Boston,  which  office  he  sustained  till  being  admonished  by 
the  increasing  infirmities  of  age,  he  requested  permission  to 
resign  about  two  years  before  his  death.  In  1789,  he  was  ap- 
pointed one  of  the  commissioners  to  treat  with  the  Creek  In- 
dians on  the  frontiers  of  the  southern  states,  and  in  1793,  he 
was  one  of  the  commissioners  to  effect  a  peace  with  the  west- 
ern Indians. 

Having,  after  his  resignation  of  the  office  of  collector,  pass- 
ed about  two  years  in  retirement,  and  in  tranquility  of  mind, 
but  experiencing  the  feebleness  of  age,  he  received  a  short  at- 
tack of  disease,  by  which  his  life  was  terminated  on  the  9th 
of  May,  1810. 

General  Lincoln  in  his  nature  was  unsusceptible  of  the  spi- 
rit of  envy.  AVhoever  achieved  a  noble  action  to  the  honour 
and  advantage  of  his  country,  whether  as  a  patriot  or  soldier, 
was  with  him  the  man  of  merit,  and  the  theme  of  eulogy, 
though  it  might  eclipse  his  own  fame.  He  was  universally 
respected  as  one  of  the  best  of  men,  of  ardent  patriotism,  and 
of  heroic  courage.  Major  general  Knox,  whose  candour  and 
discriminating  judgment  no  one  will  deny,  was  known  to  es- 
timate next  to  Washington,  in  military  talents,  generals 
Greene  and  Lincoln.  Colonel  Nathan  Rice,  a  respectable  offi- 
cer, who  was  a  member  of  his  military  family,  observes,  that 
the  sacrifice  of  as  much  domestic  happiness  as  falls  to  the  lot 
of  man,  to  serve  his  country,  would  seem  to  place  his  patriot- 
ism beyond  suspicion.  The  firmness  and  zeal  with  which  he 
rendered  this  service  during  her  struggle,  the  coolness  with 
which  he  met  danger,  his  fortitude  under  bodily  pain,  priva- 
tion and  disappointment,  and  the  confidence  reposed  in  him 
by  the  commander  in  chief,  all  strongly  evince  that  his  coun- 
try had  not  misjudged  in  elevating  him  to  the  distinguished 
rank  he  held  in  the  army.  While  at  Purysburg,  on  the  Sa- 
vannah   river,  a   soldier  named  Fickling,   having  been  ds- 

40 


S14  LINCOLN. 

tectcd  in  frequent  attempts  to  desert,  was  tried  and  sentenced 
to  be  hanged.  The  general  ordered  the  execution.  The  rope 
broke;  a  second  was  procured,  which  broke  also;  the  case  was 
reported  to  the  general  for  directions.  "Let  him  run,"  said 
the  general,  "I  thought  he  looked  like  a  scape  gallows." 

We  are  indebted  for  the  foregoing  interesting  sketch  of  ge- 
neral Lincoln,  to  Dr.  Thacher's  excellent  work.  We  select 
what  follows  from  Garden's  interesting  Anecdotes  of  the  Re- 
volutionary War: 

"  It  happened,  that  as  Fielding  was  led  to  execution,  the 
surgeon  general  of  the  army  passed  accidentally  on  his  way 
to  his  quarters,  which  were  at  some  distance  off.  On  being 
tied  up  to  the  fatal  tree,  the  removal  of  the  ladder  caused 
the  rope  to  break,  and  the  culprit  fell  to  the  ground.  This 
circumstance,  to  a  man  of  better  character,  might  have  proved 
of  advantage;  but  being  universally  considered  as  a  mis- 
creant, from  whom  no  good  could  be  expected,  anew  rope  was 
sought  for,  which  lieutenant  Hamilton,  the  adjutant  of  the  1st 
regiment,  a  stout  and  heavy  man,  essayed  by  every  means, 
but  without  effect,  to  break.  Fickling  was  then  haltered, 
and  again  turned  off,  when  to  the  astonishment  of  the  by-stan- 
ders,  the  rope  untwisted,  and  he  fell  a  second  time,  uninjured, 
to  the  ground.  A  cry  for  mercy  was  now  general  throughout 
the  ranks,  which  occasioned  major  Ladson,  aid-de-camp  to 
general  Lincoln,  to  gallop  to  head-quarters,  to  make  a  repre- 
sentation of  facts,  which  were  no  sooner  stated,  than  an  imme- 
diate pardon  was  granted,  accompanied  with  an  order,  that  he 
should,  instantaneously,  be  drummed,  with  every  mark  of  in- 
famy, out  of  camp,  and  threatened  with  instant  death,  if  ever 
he  should,  at  any  future  period,  be  found  attempting  to  ap- 
proach it.  In  the  interim,  the  surgeon  general  had  establish- 
ed himself  at  his  quarters,  in  a  distant  barn,  little  doubting  but 
that  the  catastrophe  was  at  an  end,  and  Fickling  quietly  rest- 
ing in  his  grave.  Midnight  was  at  hand,  and  he  was  busily 
engaged  in  writing,  when  hearing  the  approach  of  a  footstep, 
he  raised  his  eyes,  and  saw  with  astonishment,  the  figure  of 
the  man,  who  had,  in  his  opinion,  been  executed,  slowly  and 
with  haggard  countenance,  approaching  towards  him.  "  How ! 
how  is  this  ?"  exclaimed  the  doctor.  "Whence  come  you  r 
What  do  you  want  with  me  ?  Were  you  not  hanged  this  morn- 
ing ?"  "Yes,  sir,  replied  the  resuscitated  man,  "I  am  the 
wretch  you  saw  going  to  the  gallows,  and  who  was  hanged." 
•'  Keep  your  distance,"  said  the  doctor  ;  approach  me  not  till 
you  say,  why  you  come  here?"  "Simply,  sir,"  said  the  sup 
posed  spectre,  "to  solicit  food.  I  am  no  ghost,  doctor.  The 
rope  broke  twice  while  the  executioner  was  doing  his  office. 
and  the  general  thought  proper  to  pardon  me."     "If  that  be 


LIPPITT.  315 

the  case,"  rejoined  the  doctor,  "  eat  and  welcome;  but  I  beg 
of  you,  in  future,  to  have  a  little  more  consideration,  and  not  in- 
trude so  unceremoniously  into  the  apartment  of  one  who  bad 
every  right  to  suppose  you  an  inhabitant  of  the  tomb." 

The  person  and  air  of  general  Lincoln  betokened  his  mili- 
tary vocation.  He  was  of  a  middle  height  and  erect,  broad 
chested  and  muscular,  in  his  latter  years  corpulent,  with  open 
intelligent  features,  a  venerable  and  benign  aspect.  His  man- 
ners were  easy  and  unaffected,  but  courteous  and  polite.  In 
all  his  transactions,  both  public  and  private,  his  mind  was 
elevated  above  all  sordid  or  sinister  views,  and  our  history 
will  not  perhaps  record  many  names  more  estimable  than  was 
that  of  general  Lincoln. 

Regularity,  both  in  business  and  his  mode  of  living,  were 
peculiar  traits  in  his  character;  habitually  temperate,  and  ac- 
customed to  sleep,  unconfined  to  time  or  place.  In  conversa- 
tion he  was  always  correct  and  chaste;  on  no  occasion  utter- 
ing any  thing  like  profanity  or  levity  on  serious  subjects,  and 
when  others  have  indulged  in  these  respects  in  his  presence, 
it  was  ever  received  by  him  with  such  marked  disapproba- 
tion of  countenance,  as  to  draw  from  them  an  instantaneous 
apology,  and  regret  for  the  offence. 

The  following  anecdote  is  related  of  general  Lincoln: 
When  he  went  to  make  peace  with  the  Creek  Indians,  one  of 
the  chiefs  asked  him  to  sit  down  on  a  log.  He  was  then  de- 
sired to  move,  and,  in  a  few  minutes,  to  move  farther.  The 
request  was  repeated  until  the  general  got  to  the  end  of  the  log. 
The  Indian  said,  "  Move  farther;"  to  which  the  general  re- 
plied, "lean  move  no  farther."  "Just  so  it  is  with  us," 
said  the  chief;  "you  have  moved  us  back  to  the  water,  and 
then  ask  us  to  move  farther!" 

LIPPITT,  Christopher,  was  one  of  the  early  advocates 
and  firmest  supporters  of  our  efforts  for  independence,  and  a 
gentleman  distinguished  in  the  early  part  of  his  life,  for  the 
discharge  of  numerous  civil  and  military  offices  with  which  he 
was  invested  by  the  government  of  his  native  state,  and  by 
the  father  of  his  country.  In  September,  1776,  when  the  re- 
giment .under  his  command  was  called  for  by  general  Wash- 
ington, he  took  a  continental  commission,  and  left  Rhode 
Island  for  the  camp  of  the  commander  in  chief,  at  Harlaem 
Heights,  and  was  engaged  under  general  Lee  in  the  battle  on 
White  Plains,  and  was  afterwards  under  the  immediate  com- 
mand of  general  Washington  in  the  engagements  at  Trenton 
and  Princeton.  At  this  time,  he  received  a  brevet  brigadier 
general's  commission  from  general  Washington,  and  soon 
after  his  term  of  service  expired,  he  returned  home.  He  af- 
terwards received  a  brigadier  general's  commission  from  the 


816  LIVINGSTON. 

governor  of  Rhode  Island,  and  was  shortly  after  in  the  en- 
gagement in  that  state. 

He  died  in  Cranston,  Rhode  Island,  in  the  year  1824,  aged 
eighty. 

LIVINGSTON,  Philip,  whose  signature  is  attached  to 
onr  Declaration  of  Independence,  was  born  at  Albany,  on  the 
15th  of  January,  1716,  and  educated  at  Yale  college,  in  Con- 
necticut, where  he  graduated  in  1737.  He  was  a  grandson  of 
Robert  Livingston,  the  original  proprietor  of  the  manor  of 
Livingston,  on  the  river  Hudson,  in  the  state  of  New-York, 
who  was  born  at  Ancram  in  Scotland,  in  the  year  1654.  His 
father,  the  Reverend  John  Livingston,  a  very  distinguished  mi- 
nister of  the  kirk  of  Scotland,  having  some  years  after  found  it 
necessary  to  quit  his  native  country,  on  account  of  his  "oppo- 
sition to  Episcopacy,"  took  charge  of  an  English  Presbyteri- 
an church  in  Rotterdam,  while  he  himself  selected  America 
as  his  future  residence. 

The  grant,  or  patent  of  the  manor  of  Livingston,  bears  date 
1686,  and  the  colonial  history  of  New- York,  from  the  year 
1798,  to  the  revolution,  furnishes  abundant  evidence  of  the 
elevated  standing  in  public  life,  which  was  maintained  during 
that  period,  as  well  by  the  first  proprietor  of  the  manor,  ashy 
his  immediate  descendants. 

At  the  present  day,  when  the  advantages  of  a  liberal  educa- 
tion are  so  justly  appreciated,  and  so  readily  obtained  ;  when 
a  diploma  is  considered  as  necessary  a  preliminary  for  the 
counting-house  as  for  either  the  pulpit  or  the  bar,  its  posses- 
sion confers  no  further  distinction  on  an  individual  than  what 
is  enjoyed  in  common  throughout  the  circle  in  which  he  moves  ; 
there  is  reason,  however,  to  believe,  that  Philip  Livingston 
participated  in  its  benefits  at  a  time  when  it  was  almost  ex- 
clusively confined  to  the  learned  professions,  and  that  to  his 
early  attainments  may,  in  some  measure,  be  attributed 
that  deference  to  his  opinions  on  subjects  of  general  interest 
which  the  mercantile  pursuits  that  afterwards  occupied  his 
attention,  would  not  alone  have  been  calculated  to  inspire. 

The  solicitude  already  manifested  to  connect  the  obituary 
notices  of  the  times  with  the  events  of  the  American  revolu- 
tion, and  the  natural  propensity  of  mankind  to  trace  their  ge- 
nealogy to  celebrated  sources,  render  it  evident,  that,  with  the 
progress  of  time,an  increasing  interest  will  be  felt  in  the  bio- 
graphy of  those  illustrious  statesman  and  soldiers  who  laid 
the  foundation  of  the  American  empire,  and  that  future  and 
remote  generations  will  be  directed  and  stimulated  in  a  ca- 
reer of  distinguished  patriotism,  by  meditating  on  the  glo- 
rious achievements  of  arenowned  ancestry.  The  authors  of 
our  independence  will  indeed  occupy  a  higher  rank  in  the 


LIVINGSTON.  317 

veneration  of  posterity,  than  ever  the  founders  of  Rome  at- 
tained in  the  estimation  of  the  eternal  city  :  and  for  the  grati- 
fication of  the  present  and  all  future  times,  it  is  now  proper 
to  collect  the  shattered  notices  of  the  personal  and  political  his- 
tory, to  mould  them  into  form,  and  to  exhibit  the  result  to  the 
contemplation  of  an  admiring  world. 

His  entrance  into  public  life  was  as  a  magistrate  in  the  city 
of  New  York,  where  he  settled  as  a  merchant  shortly  after  his 
marriage,  and  which  he  afterwards  represented  in  the  coloni- 
al general  assembly,  from  1759  to  1769,  inclusive.  The  jour- 
nals of  that  body,  during  his  term  of  service,  evince  his  fidel- 
ity towards  his  constituents  and  a  constant  regard  for  the  in- 
terests and  welfare  of  the  colony.  In  1764,  he  submitted  to 
the  house,  in  his  capacity  of  chairman  of  a  committee  appoint- 
ed for  that  purpose,  a  very  animated  petition  to  the  king, 
which  was  afterwards  adopted,  and  in  which  the  ''intimation 
of  a  design"  to  tax  "these  colonies"  by  laws  passed  in  Great 
Britain,  is  made  the  subject  of  serious  complaint;  and,  in 
1768,  we  find  his  name  as  speaker,  to  an  answer  of  the  house 
to  the  celebrated  Boston  letter,  and  also,  to  two  several  me- 
morials to  the  English  parliament,  on  the  subject  of  the  exist- 
ing grievances,  which,  in  conjunction  with  certain  explana- 
tory resolutions,  entered  on  the  journals,  occasioned  the  dis- 
solution of  the  assembly  shortly  after. 

The  election  of  1769,  appears  to  have  been  warmly  contest- 
ed in  the  city  and  county  of  New  York.  The  old  members 
were  nominated  and  strenuously  supported  by  many,  "for 
their  noble  and  patriotic  spirit,  in  boldly  asserting  and  main- 
taining the  rights  and  privileges  of  Americans,"  "without  fee 
or  reward;  while,  on  the  other  hand,  several  other  citizens 
were  held  up  in  opposition  by  a  party,  respectable  both  as  to 
numbers  and  character,  but  acting  apparently  under  the  influ- 
ence of  feelings  excited  by  former  religious  controversies  be- 
tween the  members  of  the  church  of  England  and  the  dissent- 
ers. 

At  the  very  commencement  of  the  contest,  Mr.  Livingston 
published  his  determination  "not  to  have  any  agency  in  an 
election  which  he  apprehended  would  be  productive  of  the  most 
violent  heats  and  animosities,"  and  persisted  in  this  resolu- 
tion, notwithstanding  the  solicitations  of  both  parties  to  dis- 
suade him  from  it;  another  name  was  accordingly  substituted 
on  the  old  ticket,  while  the  friends  of  the  new  candidates  made 
a  vigorous  but  unsuccessful  attempt  to  accomplish  their  pur- 
pose by  appropriating  his  to  themselves,  without  his  consent. 
He  was,  also,  during  the  same  year,  returned  as  <i  member 
from  the  manor  of  Livingston,  but,  although  the  election  was 
unanimous,  it  was  decided  by  the  house  that  his  non-residence 


318  LIVINGSTON. 

disqualified  him  from  taking  his  seat.  His  constituents  peti 
tioned  against  the  decision,  hut  to  no  purpose.  A  detail  of 
the  various  circumstances  which  characterized  the  life  of  Mr. 
Livingston,  from  the  last  mentioned  period  until  the  year 
1774,  would  be  hut  a  record  of  those  events  which  preceded 
and  terminated  in  the  meeting  of  the  continental  congress,  as 
he  invariably  took  an  active  part  in  all  those  measures  adopt- 
ed by  his  fellow-citizens,  the  object  of  which  was  to  obtain  re- 
dress for  past  grievances,  or  prevent  their  recurrence  for  the 
future.  An  incident,  however,  occurred,  a  few  days  previous 
to  his  first  election  to  the  proposed  congress,  which  may  be 
worthy  of  notice  from  the  evidence  it  furnishes  that  the  con- 
duct of  Mr.  Livingston,  and  of  his  colleagues,  was  influenced 
by  liberal  and  independent  views,  becoming  statesmen,  and 
not  by  motives  of  sectional  interests  or  individual  popularity. 
Shortly  after  his  nomination  as  a  delegate  in  May,  1774,  a  let- 
ter, signed  by  several  gentlemen,  was  directed  to  him, in  con- 
junction with  John  Jay,  John  Allsop,  Isaac  Low,  and  James 
Duane,  in  which  they  were  requested,  "in  order  to  avoid  the  in- 
conveniences that  may  arise  from  a  contested  election,"  to 
state,  explicity,  whether  they  "  would  engage  to  use  their  ut- 
most endeavours  at  the  proposed  congress,  that  an  agreement 
not  to  import  goods  from  Great  Britain,  until  the  American 
grievances  should  be  redressed,  should  be  entered  into  by  the 
colonies;"  in  answer  to  which  they  observed,  that  they  would 
do  every  thing  in  their  power,  which  in  their  opinion,  would  be 
conducive  to  the  general  interests  of  the  colonies,  and  that,  at 
present,  they  thought  the  proposed  measure  the  most  efficacious 
one  tbat  could  be  adopted,  but  concluded  with,  "Permit  us 
to  add,  that  we  make  this  declaration  of  our  sentiments  be- 
cause we  think  it  right,  and  not  as  an  inducement  to  be  favour- 
ed with  your  votes  ;  nor  have  we  the  least  objection  in  your 
electing  any  other  gentlemen,  as  your  delegates,  in  whom  you 
repose  greater  confidence."  This  manly  avowal  was  suc- 
ceeded by  an  unanimous  election,  and  when  the  time  approach- 
ed for  them  to  enter  on  their  duties,  they  were  escorted  on  the 
first  of  September,  1774,  to  the  vessel  in  which  they  embark- 
ed for  Philadelphia,  with  all  those  testimonials  of  respect  to 
which  their  character  and  their  cause  so  justly  entitled  them. 
From  the  year  1774  to  1778,  Mr.  Livingston  was  zealous 
and  indefatigable  in  attending  to  his  congressional  duties, 
either  as  a  representative  from  the  colony,  or  the  state  of  New 
York,  although  he  was  in  the  mean  time  also  called  on  to  assist 
in  the  formation  of  a  state  government,  and  to  perform  other 
public  duties  of  a  more  local  description.  On  the  22d  No- 
vember, 1774,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  association 
formed  agreeably  to  a  resolve  of  congress  to  abstain  from  im 
portation.  &e. 


LIVINGSTON.  319 

In  congress,  he  was  appointed,  (October  11th,  1774,)  to- 
gether with  Messrs.  Lee  and  Jay,  to  prepare  a  memorial  to 
the  people  of  British  America,  and  an  address  to  the  people  of 
Great  Britain.  On  the  20th  April,  1775,  he  was  chosen 
president  of  the  "  Provincial  Congress,"  assembled  in  New- 
York,  for  the  purpose  of  electing  out  of  their  body,  delegates 
to  the  next  continental  congress;  and  was  one  of  the  delegates. 
On  the  8th  of  May,  1775,  he,  together  with  his  colleagues, 
left  the  city  for  Philadelphia,  "  attended  by  a  great  train  to 
the  ferry,  of  whom,  about  five  hundred  gentlemen,  including 
two  hundred  as  militia  under  arms,  crossed  over  with  them. 
On  the  1st  February,  1776,  he,  together  with  John  Allsop, 
John  Jay  and  Alexander  M'Dougal,  were  unanimously  elec- 
ted to  serve  for  the  city  and  county  in  the  next  general  assem- 
bly." On  the  16th  of  the  ensuing  April,  he  was  elected  one  of 
the  delegates  to  serve  in  the  next  provincial  congress  ;  and  in 
June,  1776,  he  was  one  of  the  delegates  then  elected  to  serve 
in  the  provincial  congress  the  ensuing  year,  with  the  addi- 
tional power  of  forming  a  new  government  for  the  colony  of 
New  York.  He  was  not,  however,  destined  to  witness  the  ter- 
mination of  a  conflict,  in  the  prosecution  of  which  he  had 
thus  far  redeemed  the  sacred  pledge  by  which  lie  stood  com- 
mitted to  his  country.  In  May,  1778,  he  left  his  family,  with 
a  presentiment  that  what  to  them  appeared  a  temporary,  would 
in  fact  be  a  final  separation;  and  shortly  after,  having  resum- 
ed his  seat  in  congress,  then  sitting  in  Yorktown,  Pennsylvan- 
ia, he  was  followed  to  the  grave,  by  that  body,  whose  cha- 
racter for  wisdom,  firmness  and  integrity,  he  had  contributed 
towards  establishing  :  whose  fame  has  ere  this  been  recorded 
in  the  histories  of  other  nations  than  our  own,  and  whose  ac- 
tions, when  compared  with  the  events  of  preceding  ages,  may 
justify  an  American  in  exclaiming: 

"  Priscojavent  alios:  ego  me  nunc  denique  natum  gratulor." 

As  one  of  the  founders  of  our  independence,  he  foresaw  the 
difficulties  and  sacrifices  that  were  to  be  encountered,  and 
proceeded  in  its  earliest  stages  with  a  degree  of  prudence  and 
circumspection,  which  were  warranted  by  his  age  and  expe- 
rience, and  which  served  as  a  chock  on  the  more  animated  ca, 
reer  of  some  of  his  youthful  associates;  when,  however,  "in 
the  course  of  human  events  it  became  necessary  to  dissolve  the 
political  bands"  which  connected  this  country  with  Great  Bri- 
tain, neither  considerations  of  personal  convenience,  nor  the 
probable  loss  of  fortune,  were  sufficient  to  prevent  him  from 
prosecuting,  with  ardour,  a' cause  in  which  moderation  and 
forbearance  had  hitherto  been  ineffectually  tried ;  and  but  a 
short  time  previous  to  his  death,  lie  gave  a  proof  of  his  devo- 


320  LIVINGSTON. 

tion  to  it,  by  selling  a  portion  of  his  private  estate  to  support 
the  public  credit. 

In  his  temper,  Mr.  Livingston  was  somewhat  irritable,  yet 
exceedingly  mild,  tender,  and  affectionate  to  his  family  and 
friends.  There  was  a  dignity,  with  a  mixture  of  austerity,  in 
his  deportment,  whicli  rendered  it  difficult  for  strangers  to  ap- 
proach him,  and  which  made  him  a  terror  to  those  who  swerv- 
ed from  the  line,  or  faltered  in  the  path,  of  personal  virtue  and 
patriotic  duty.  He  was  silent  and  reserved,  and  seldom  in- 
dulged with  much  freedom  in  conversation.  Fond  of  reading, 
and  endowed  with  a  solid  and  discriminating  understanding, 
his  mind  was  replenished  with  various  extensive  and  useful 
knowledge. 

He  possessed,  in  an  extraordinary  degree,  an  intuitive  per- 
ception of  character.  He  saw,  at  one  glance,  into  the  souls 
of  men,  and  every  man  carried  a  window  in  his  bosom,  with 
regard  to  him,  through  which  his  penetrating  eyes  could  ob- 
serve the  minute  lineaments,  as  well  as  the  great  outlines,  of 
character.  This  deep  insight  into  men  and  things  rendered 
him  peculiarly  useful  in  the  important  drama  of  the  American 
revolution. 

His  last  moments  were  correspondent  with  the  tenor  of  his 
well-spent  life.  He  met,  with  characteristic  firmness  and 
christian  fortitude,  the  trying  hour  Which  separated  him  from 
this  world. 

He  taught  us  how  to  live,  and  (oh  !  too  high 
The  "price for  knowledge,  J  taught  us  how  to  die. 

LIVINGSTON,  William,  governor  of  New  Jersey,  de- 
scended from  a  family  in  New  York,  which  emigrated  from 
North  Britain,  and  which  was  distinguished  for  its  numbers, 
opulence,  talents,  christian  virtue,  and  attachment  to  liberty. 
He  was  born  about  the  year  1723,  and  was  graduated  at  Yale 
college  in  1741.  He  afterwards  pursued  the  study  of  the  law. 
Possessing  from  the  gift  of  God  a  strong  and  comprehensive 
mind,  a  brilliant  imagination,  and  a  retentive  memory,  and 
improving  with  unwearied  diligence  the  literary  advantages 
which  he  enjoyed,  he  soon  rose  to  eminence  in  his  profession. 
He  early  embraced  the  cause  of  civil  and  religious  liberty. 
When  Great  Britain  advanced  her  arbitrary  claims,  he  em- 
ployed his  pen  in  opposing  them,  and  in  vindicating  the  rights 
of  his  countrymen.  After  sustaining  some  important  offices 
in  New  York,  he  removed  to  New  Jersey,  and  as  a  represen- 
tative of  this  state,  was  one  of  the  principal  members  of  the 
first  congress,  in  1774.  After  the  inhabitants  of  New  Jersey 
had  sent  their  governor,  Mr.  William  Franklin,  under  a 
strong  guard  to  Connecticut,  and  had  formed  a  new  consti- 


MACCLINTOCK.  321 

tution  in  July,  1776,  Mr.  Livingston  was  elected  the  first 
chief  magistrate,  and  such  was  his  integrity  and  republican 
virtue,  that  he  was  annually  re-elected  till  his  death.  During 
the  war  he  bent  his  exertions  to  support  the  independence  of 
his  country.  By  the  keenness  and  severity  of  his  political 
writings,  he  exasperated  the  British,  who  distinguished  him 
as  an  object  of  their  peculiar  hatred.  His  pen  bud  no  incon- 
siderable influence  in  exciting  that  indignation  and  zeal, 
which  rendered  the  militia  of  New  Jersey  so  remarkable  for 
the  alacrity  with  which  on  any  alarm  they  arrayed  themselves 
against  the  common  enemy.  He  was,  in  1787,  a  delegate  to 
the  grand  convention  which  formed  the  constitution  of  the 
United  States.  After  having  sustained  the  office  of  governor 
for  fourteen  years,  with  great  honor  to  himself  and  usefulness 
to  the  state,  he  died  at  his  seat  near  Elizabethtown,  July  25, 
1790,  aged  sixty-seven  years. 

MACCLINTOCK,  Nathaniex,  was  born  March  21, 
1757,  and  received  his  education  at  Harvard  College,  where 
he  was  graduated  in  1775,  at  the  age  of  eighteen.  Being  in 
Boston  at  the  commencement  of  the  revolutionary  war,  he  had 
the  offer  of  an  ensign's  commission  in  the  British  army,  but 
he  declined  a  place  so  tempting  to  youthful  ambition,  and 
espoused  the  cause  of  liberty  and  his  country.  Soon  after  the 
battle  of  Lexington,  he  joined  the  American  army  as  lieuten- 
ant of  one  of  the  companies  in  the  New  Hampshireline;  was  soon, 
appointed  adjutant  in  colonel  Poor's  regiment,  and  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  a  Brigade  Major,  when  Poor  was  advanced  to  that 
of  Brigadier  general.  He  was  with  general  Washington's 
army  at  the  capture  of  the  Hessians  at  Trenton,  in  1776,  and 
was  very  active  on  that  memorable  night,  especially,  in  con- 
veying the  enemy,  after  the  capture,  across  the  river.  The 
soldiers  suffered  severely  on  that  occasion.  Many  were  so 
destitute  of  shoes  and  stockings,  that  their  footsteps  on  the 
snow  and  ice  were  imprinted  with  blood,  yet  they  cheerfully 
performed  their  duty.  He  was  at  Ticonderoga,  and  in  the 
various  engagements  with  Burgoyne's  army  until  its  final  cap- 
ture. His  letters  to  his  father  while  in  the  army  exhibit  a 
noble  enthusiasm  in  the  public  service.  His  talents  and  edu- 
cation gave  him  great  advantages,  and  his  character  as  an 
officer  was  so  high  in  the  estimation  of  Washington  and  all 
the  general  officers,  that  before  he  was  twenty-one  years  of 
age,  he  w  as  promoted  over  all  the  captains  in  the  regiment 
to  a  majority  in  the  line.  The  officers,  who  were  thus  super 
seded,  although  they  entertained  the  highest  opinion  of  his 
talents  and  usefulness  in  the  army,  and  felt  disposed  to  make 
every  sacrifice  consistent  with  honor  to  retain  him,  were  in- 

•     41 


322  MACPHERSON. 

duced  by  a  regard  for  their  rank,  to  remonstrate  against  this 
appointment. 

Believing  that,  under  these  peculiar  circumstances,  the 
good  of  the  service  and  the  prosperity  of  the  great  cause  for 
which  we  were  contending,  required  his  resignation,  he  ten- 
dered it  to  general  Washington,  assigning  the  above  circum* 
stances  as  the  only  cause.  Sensible  of  the  force  of  Major 
Macclintock's  reasons,  general  Washington  accepted  his  re- 
signation, and  he  retired  from  the  army  much  regretted  by  the 
commander  in  chief  and  all  the  general  officers  of  his  acquain- 
tance. He  returned  home  in  1779.  Wishing  to  do  something 
more  in  the  service  of  his  country,  he  embarked  as  captain  of 
marines  on  board  the  private  armed  ship,  general  Sullivan, 
of  20  guns,  captain  Manning,  commander,  and  having  cap- 
tured a  British  ship  of  war,  they  manned  her  to  cruize  in 
Company.  Major  Macclintock  was  second  to  his  friend, 
lieutenant  Broadstreet,  in  command  of  this  ship.  In  an  en- 
engagement  in  1780,  under  great  disadvantage,  with  two  of 
the  enemy's  ships  of  vastly  superior  force,  lieutenant  Broad- 
street's  ship  was  captured  and  Major  Macclintock  was  killed 
by  a  ball  through  his  head.  Thus  fell  as  promising  a  young 
man  as  the  state  of  New-Hampshire  at  that  time  contained. 

MACPHERSON,  William,  was  the  son  of  captain  John 
Macpherson,  a  Scotch  gentleman,  who  came  to  America  about 
thirty  years  before  the  declaration  of  independence,  and  of 
Margaret  Rodgers,  the  sister  of  the  late  Reverend  Dr.  John 
Rodgers,  of  New  York.  He  was  born  in  Philadelphia,  in 
the  year  1756,  and  there  received  the  early  part  of  his  educa- 
tion, which  was  finished  at  Princeton,  in  New  Jersey.  At  the 
age  of  thirteen  he  received  the  appointment  of  cadet  in  the 
British  army,  and  before  the  declaration  of  independence,  his 
lather  having  purchased  for  him  a  lieutenant's  commission, 
he  was  made  adjutant  of  the  16th  regiment.  Mr.  Macpher- 
son was  with  his  regiment  at  Pensacola,  at  the  commencement 
of  the  revolutionary  war,  at  which  period  he  offered  to  resign 
his  commission,  but  his  resignation  was  not  accepted.  Se- 
veral years  afterwards,  on  the  arrival  of  the  16th  regiment  at 
New  York,  sir  Henry  Clinton  permitted  Mr.  Macpherson  to 
resign  his  commission,  in  consequence  of  his  declaring  that 
he  never  would  bear  arms  against  his  countrymen.  He  was 
not,  however,  allowed  to  sell  his  commission,  for  which  his 
father  had  given  a  considerable  sum  of  money.  He  joined  the 
American  army  on  the  river  Hudson,  above  New  York,  about 
the  end  of  the  year  1779,  and  as  general  Washington  had 
known  him  for  many  years,  and  understood  the  value  of  the 
-sacrifice  he  had  made  for  the  good  of  his  country,  the  appoint 


MACPHERSON.  323 

mentof  major  by  brevet,  in  the  American  army,  was  confer- 
red upon  him. 

Major  Macpherson  was  for  some  time  aid-dc-camp  to  gen- 
eral La  Fayette,  and  was  afterwards  appointed  by  general 
Washington  to  the  command  of  a  partizan  corps  of  cavalry, 
which  served  in  Virginia,  in  1781.  The  appointment  of  so 
young  an  officer  to  so  honorable  a  command,  appears  to  have 
been  a  cause  of  dissatisfaction  to  the  colonels  and  lieutenant 
colonels  of  the  Pennsylvania  line,  and  to  have  induced  them 
to  make  application  to  general  Washington  on  the  subject, 
through  the  medium  of  generals  Wayne  and  Irvine.  It  is  be- 
lieved that  this  circumstance  never  became  public,  the  officers 
having  been  satisfied  by  the  unanswerable  arguments  and  ir- 
resistible appeals  to  their  patriotism  and  honour,  contained 
m  the  following  letter  from  general  Washington,  dated  11th 
August,  1780,  addressed  to  generals  Wayne  and  Irvine: 

u  Head  Quarters,  Tappan,  August  11,  1780. 
"  Gentlemen, 

"I  cannot  but  premise  my  answer  to  your  letter  of  yester- 
day, by  observing,  that  the  refusal  of  the  colonels  and  lieuten- 
ant colonels  of  your  line,  to  comply  witli  my  request  for  stating 
in  writing  their  motives  to  the  part  they  have  taken  in  the  af- 
fair of  major  Macpherson,  is  to  me  as  extraordinary  as  unex- 
pected. I  assure  you,  I  had  not  the  least  idea  there  could 
have  been  any  difficulty  in  the  matter,  and  had  no  other  rea- 
son for  desiring  it,  than  that  which  I  assigned  to  you;  to  pre- 
vent a  possibility  of  misrepresentation. 

"  Though  I  consider  the  conduct  of  the  gentlemen  concern- 
ed as  extremely  exceptionable,  in  every  point  of  view,  yet  as 
I  attribute  it  to  misapprehension,  as  I  have  a  good  opinion  of 
their  intentions,  and  the  highest  sense  of  their  patriotism, 
their  zeal  for  the  service,  their  talents  and  merit;  as  I  should 
esteem  their  resignation  an  injury  to  the  army,  not  only  by 
the  loss  of  so  many  good  officers,  but  by  deranging  a  very 
valuable  corps  of  troops;  as  I  wish  the  motives  to  the  step  I 
have  taken,  to  be  well  understood  by  them,  I  shall  recapitu- 
late the  substance  of  the  conversation  which  passed  between 
us  at  our  interview,  and  request  you  once  more,  to  call  their 
attention  to  it,  before  they  come  to  a  final  determination.  I 
wish  them  to  be  assured  that  on  the  appointment  of  major 
Macpherson,  I  did  not  imagine  it  could,  by  any  construction, 
be  deemed  injurious  to  their  rights,  or  prejudicial  to  their 
honour;  and  that  they  cannot  be  more  tender  of  both,  them- 
selves, than  I  have  been,  and  ever  should  be:  that  though  I 
have  the  best  opinion  of  that  gentleman's  qualifications,  the 
choice  of  him  was  not  founded  on  any  preference  derogatory 
to  them  :  that  from  the  fullest  information  of  the  practice  of 


324  MACPIIERSON. 

all  other  armies,  I  was  convinced  the  appointment  was  agreea- 
ble to  military  rule;  that  it  appeared  to  me,  by  the  articles  of 
war,  and  repeated  resolutions  of  congress,  to  he  agreeable  to 
our  own  constitution:  that  the  estimation  in  which  Mr.  Mac- 
pherson  seemed  to  be  held  hy  the  whole  Pennsylvania  line  ; 
the  former  application  of  some  of  the  officers  to  me  in  his 
behalf;  the  sacrifice  he  made  to  his  principles,  by  quitting  a 
service  in  which  he  had  a  handsome  existence ;  his  heing  a 
native  of  the  same  state,  and  a  man  of  acknowledged  capacity 
and  worth,  left  me  no  douht  that  the  officers  of  your  line 
would,  with  pleasure,  see  him  placed  in  a  situation,  which 
would  enable  him  to  be  useful  to  the  puhlic,  and  to  do  credit 
to  himself. 

il  A  command  in  the  light  corps  offered  itself  as  an  unex- 
ceptionable mode  for  answering  this  purpose.  Corps  formed 
by  detachments  are  the  usual  method  in  which  brevet  officers 
are  employed ;  as  they  cannot  be  introduced  into  regiments 
without  displacing  other  officers,  or  violating  the  right  of 
succession:  both  of  which  are  justly  deemed  injurious  in  every 
service.  But  the  reasoning  is  new,  by  which  the  employ- 
ing such  officers  in  detached  corps,  is  made  an  infringement 
of  the  rights  of  regimental  officers.  Military  rank,  and  an 
elegibility  to  military  command,  arc  ideas  which  cannot  be 
separated.  Take  away  the  latter,  and  the  former  becomes  an 
unmeaning  sound.  The  principle  being  admitted,  would  in 
our  army  degrade  many  officers  who  have  every  claim  to  the 
consideration  of  their  country,  and  to  the  justice  of  their  fel- 
low soldiers,  some  of  whom  have  been  in  the  army  since  the 
commencement  of  the  war:  have  relinquished  regimental  sta- 
tions, by  which,  in  the  natural  course  of  succession,  they  would 
have  been  higher  in  rank  than  they  now  are  ;  have  made  as 
great  sacrifices  as  many  others;  and  yield  to  none  in  merit 
or  in  useful  service.  To  wish  to  exclude  them  from  the  most 
essential  privilege  of  an  officer,  is  alike  inconsistent  with  jus- 
tice and  generosity;  and  on  cooler  reflection,  the  liberality  of 
sentiments,  which  I  believe  the  gentlemen  concerned  to  pos- 
sess, will  not  suffer  them  to  persist  in  such  a  design. 

"  The  practice  of  other  armies,  in  all  cases  not  expressly 
provided  for,  is  the  best  standard  by  which  we  can  form  our 
notions,  and  it  would  have  obviated  many  difficulties,  if  it 
had  been  been  better  known,  or  more  attended  to.  If  parti- 
cular officers  are  to  depart  from  that,  and  setup  new  distinc- 
tions as  it  suits  their  interest  or  fancy,  there  is  an  end  to  all 
order  and  subordination.  Every  thing  is  set  afloat  upon  the 
precarious  footing  of  as  many  different  opinions  as  there  are 
individuals  that  compose  the  army.  It  is  too  notorious  to  be 
denied,  that  the  practice  of  other  armies,  (not  less  than  otm 


MACPHERSON.  325 

own)  warrants  the  appointment  of  major  Macpherson  to  his 
present  command.  I  understand,  however,  from  you,  gentle- 
men, that  a  line  has  been  drawn,  and  applied  to  the  present 
case,  between  temporary  and  permanent  commands:  admitting 
this  distinction  to  be  good,  detachments  which  are  again  to 
return  to  their  corps,  can  be  deemed  nothing  else  than  tempo- 
rary commands;  whether  they  are  out  for  a  week,  for  a  month, 
or  for  a  campaign,  they  are  still  temporary.  The  permanent 
commands  are  of  regiments,  and  other  established  corps:  if 
we  appeal  to  precedent,  here  also  we  shall  find  the  period  for 
brevet  commands  indefinite. 

"You  inform  me  that  a  distinction  was  also  made  between  a 
detachment  from  one  line,  and  a  detachment  from  different 
lines,  and  that  no  objection  would  have  arisen  if  the  corps  to 
which  major  Macpherson  was  appointed,  had  been  composed 
partly  of  Pennsylvania  and  partly  of  other  troops.  Though 
there  are  particular  quotas  of  troops  furnished  by  the  several 
states,  the  whole  compose  one  army,  and  the  commissions  are 
from  the  same  authority,  with  different  designations:  all  de- 
tachments, therefore,  whether  from  one  line,  or  from  more 
than  one,  must  be  subject  to  the  same  rules  ;  and  if  a  brevet 
is  not  to  operate  upon  a  detachment  from  one  line,  I  see  no 
principle  upon  which  it  can  have  effect  in  detachments  from 
different  lines,  united  together. 

"  If  it  be  allowed  that  brevet  commissions  create  a  capa- 
bility of  temporary  command  by  detachment,  and  that  the 
light  infantry  answers  to  this  description,  then  the  propriety 
of  appointing  major  Macpherson  can  only  be  questioned  on 
two  principles;  a  want  of  qualifications,  or  being  appointed 
out  of  course.  The  first  would  be  inadmissible,  because  the 
officer  commanding  the  army  has  alone  the  right  to  judge,  and 
if  he  made  an  injudicious  choice,  the  officers  might  entertain 
what  private  opinions  they  pleased,  but  they  could  not  make 
it  the  subject  of  official  complaint.  If  it  be  said,  major  Mac- 
pherson was  appointed  out  of  course,  and  that  the  officers  of 
light  infantry  should  be  taken  by  roster,  as  in  the  common 
routine  of  service,  let  the  practice  of  armies,  as  in  the  other 
case,  be  recurred  to,  and  it  will  be  found  that  no  regard  is 
paid  to  the  roster  in  similar  corps.  It  is  an  undisputed  pri- 
vilege of  the  commander  in  chief  to  officer  them  as  he 
pleases. 

"The  same  was  done  last  year,  nor  would  scarcely  an  offi- 
cer then  in  the  corps  have  been  appointed,  if  the  principle  in 
question  had  been  observed.  No  objection,  however,  that  I 
ever  heard  of,  was  made  on  the  score,  and  why  should  the  offi- 
cers of  the  Pennsylvania  line  be  singular  in  making  it  now? 
or  why  not  make  it  in  the  case  of  colonel  Stewart,  as  well  as 


526  MACPHERSON. 

of  major  Macpherson?  His  appointment,  no  more  than  that 
of  the  latter,  can  be  justified  by  the  roster.  The  good  sense 
of  every  officer  of  discernment  must  decide  against  this  rule 
for  a  variety  of  obvious  considerations. 

"  For  these  reasons,  and  others  equally  decisive,  it  is  im- 
possible for  me  to  revoke  the  appointment.  I  view  the  mea- 
sure the  gentlemen  concerned  have  entered  into,  as  peculiarly 
intemperate,  hasty,  and  ill-judged.  1  sincerely  hope  they  may 
be  induced  to  re-consider  it,  and  change  their  resolution.  On 
my  part,  I  shall  be  happy  to  forget  what  has  happened,  and  to 
continue  to  them  the  same  share  of  my  esteem,  which  they 
have  merited  and  possessed.  I  am  persuaded  their  rights  in 
the  present  case  are  untouched.  I  am  conscious  I  had  no  in- 
tention to  injure  them.  I  cannot  pretend  an  indifference  to 
the  conduct  they  may  observe,  because,  as  I  have  already  con- 
fessed, [  shall  consider  their  quitting  the  service,  as  a  serious 
detriment  to  it.  They  ought  also,  as  good  citizens  and  good 
men,  to  realize  the  consequences,  and  to  assure  themselves 
they  act  upon  substantial  grounds,  before  they  venture  to  exe- 
cute what  they  have  intimated.  They  ought  to  recollect  that 
they  cannot  hereafter  be  happy,  if  they  find  their  conduct  con- 
demned by  the  country  and  by  the  army,  especially  if  it  has 
been  the  cause  of  any  misfortune.  They  should  remember 
that  we  have  actually  entered  upon  the  operations  of  the  cam- 
paign; that  we  are  men  in  the  vicinity  of  the  enemy,  and  in 
a  position  that  makes  an  action  not  very  improbable,  perhaps 
(if  my  intelligence  is  true)  not  very  remote.  When  they  duly 
weigh  these  things,  they  cannot  but  be  sensible  that  the  love 
of  their  country;  the  obligations  of  their  respective  stations  ; 
what  they  owe  to  their  own  characters,  and  to  that  discipline 
which  ought  to  be  sacred  among  military  men;  all  these  mo- 
tives call  upon  them  to  relinquish  the  intention  they  have  sug- 
gested. It  is  true,  we  have  not  many  considerations  of  in- 
terest to  attach  us  to  the  service;  but  we  have  those  of  honour 
and  public  good  in  a  high  degree,  and  I  flatter  myself  these 
ties  will  not  prove  too  feeble. 

"I  wish  you  to  communicate  this  letter  as  well  to  the  majors 
as  to  the  other  field  officers;  and  if  they  still  persist,  I  shall 
think  I  have  discharged  my  duty  to  them  and  to  the  public. 

"  I  am,  with  great  esteem, 

Gentlemen, 

Your  most  obedient  servant, 
GO:  WASHINGTON. 
Generals  Wayne  and  Irvine." 

The  foregoing  letter,  the  original  of  which  in  general  Wash- 
ington's hand-writing,  is  now  in  the  possession  of  a  member 
of  general  Macpherson's  family,  shows  very  clearly  the  high 


MANLY.  327 

opinion  entertained  by  the  former  of  the  character  of  the  lat- 
ter, and  of  the  sacrifices  he  had  made  to  the  welfare  of  his 
country.  Major  Macpherson  always  retained  the  esteem  and 
friendship  of  the  commander  in  chief,  and  his  services  during 
the  revolutionary  war,  were  rewarded  by  president  Washing- 
ton by  the  appointment  of  surveyor  of  the  port  of  Philadelphia, 
by  commission  dated  19th  September,  1789.  On  March  8th, 
1792,  a  new  commission  was  issued,  appointing  him  inspector 
of  the  revenue  for  the  port  of  Philadelphia,  and  on  the  28th 
November,  1793,  he  was  appointed  naval  officer  of  the  port  of 
Philadelphia,  which  office  he  held  until  his  death,  in  1813;  be- 
ing continued  therein  during  the  successive  administrations  of 
president  Adams,  Jefferson  and  Madison. 

In  the  year  1794,  upon  the  manifestation  of  opposition  in 
some  of  the  western  counties  of  Pennsylvania,  to  the  excise 
law,  enacted  in  the  previous  session  of  congress,  a  large 
and  respectable  body  of  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia,  form- 
ed themselves  into  several  companies,  and  invited  major 
Macpherson  to  place  himself  at  their  head.  They  were  orga- 
nized into  a  battalion,  and  in  compliment  to  him,  they  styled 
themselves  Macpherson's  Blues.  This  fine  corps  formed  a 
part  of  the  army  commanded  by  governor  Mifflin  on  the  wes- 
tern expedition,  and  was  universally  respected  for  its  patrio- 
tism and  dicipline.  Before  the  return  of  the  army  to  Philadel- 
phia, major  Macpherson  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  colonel, 
and  subsequently  was  appointed  by  governor  Mifflin,  a  briga- 
dier general  in  the  militia  of  Pennsylvania.  On  the  occasion 
of  war  with  France  in  1798,  the  Blues  were  re-organised,  and 
with  the  addition  of  several  companies,  consisting  of  calvary, 
artillery,  grenadiers  and  riflemen,  were  formed  into  a  legion 
under  the  command  of  general  Macpherson.  On  the  1 1th  of 
March,  1799,  general  Macpherson  was  appointed  by  president 
Adams  abrigadier  general  of  the  provisional  army,  and  was  se- 
lected to  command  the  troops  sent  into  Northampton  county 
to  enforce  obedience  to  the  revenue  laws.  After  the  disband- 
ing of  the  provisional  army,  general  Macpherson  retired  from 
military  life  to  his  country  seat  near  Philadelphia,  where  he  re- 
sided until  his  death  which  took  place  in  November,  1813,  in 
consequence  of  hemorrhage  caused  by  a  schirrous  tumour  on 
his  neck.  The  greater  part  of  his  life  had  been  spent  in  the 
active  service  of  his  country,  and  he  was  universally  beloved 
for  his  urbanity  and  generosity,  and  respected  for  his  integ- 
rity, honour,  and  patriotism. 

MANLY,  John,  a  captain  in  the  navy  of  the  United 
States,  received  a  naval  commission  from  Washington,  com- 
mander in  chief  of  the  American  forces,  October  24,  1775. 
Invested  with  the  command  of  the  schooner  Lee,  he  kept  the 


328  MANLY. 

hazardous  station  of  Massachusetts  bay,  during  a  most  tem- 
pestuous season,  and  the  captures  which  he  made  were  of  im- 
mense value  at  the  moment.  An  ordnance  brig,  which  fell 
into  his  hands,  supplied  the  continental  army  with  heavy  pie-' 
ces,  mortars  and  working  tools,  of  which  it  was  very  destitute, 
and  in  the  event  led  to  the  evacuation  of  Boston.  His  services 
were  the  theme  of  universal  eulogy. 

The  spirit  of  enterprise,  encouraged  by  success,  he  sailed 
in  the  privateer  Hancock,  on  a  cruise,  and  falling  in  with  his 
Britannic  majesty's  sloop  of  war  Fox.  compelled  her  to  sur- 
render. This  capture  increased  his  high  reputation  for  bra- 
very and  skill.  Some  time  after  this,  commanding  the  priva- 
teer Jason,  he  was  attacked  by  two  British  privateers,  the  one 
of  eighteen,  the  other  of  ten  guns.  He  reserved  his  fire  till 
he  came  close  upon  them;  run  his  vessel  betwixt  the  two,  and 
by  a  well-directed  broadside,  fired  into  each,  compelled  them 
both  to  strike  their  colours  and  surrender.  The  Americans 
had  already  learnt  to  fire  with  deliberation  and  effect.  Short 
as  the  contest  was,  the  larger  privateer  lost  thirty  of  her 
crew.  But  he  was  taken  prisoner  with  his  prize,  by  the  Rain- 
bow, of  forty  guns,  July  8,  1777,  and  suffered  a  long  and  ri- 
gorous confinement  on  board  that  ship  at  Halifax,  and  in  Mill 
prison,  which  precluded  him  from  further  actual  service  till 
near  the  close  of  the  war. 

In  September  1782,  the  Hague  frigate  was  entrusted  to  his 
care.  The  cruise  was  peculiarly  unhappy.  A  few  days  after 
leaving  Martinque,  he  was  driven  by  a  British  seventy  four 
on  a  sand  bank,  at  the  back  of  Guadaloupe.  Three  ships  of 
the  line  having  joined  this  ship,  came  too  within  point  blank 
shot,  and  with  springs  on  their  cables  opened  a  most  tremendous 
fire.  Having  supported  the  heavy  cannonade  for  three  days, 
on  the  fourth  day  the  frigate  was  got  off,  and  hoisting  the  con- 
tinental standard  at  the  main  top-gallant-mast,  thirteen  guns 
were  fired  in  farewell  defiance.  On  his  return  to  Boston,  a 
few  months  afterwards,  he  was  arrested  to  answer  a  variety  of 
charges  exhibited  against  him  by  one  of  his  officers.  The  pro- 
ceedings of  the  court  were  not  altogether  in  appprobation  of 
his  conduct.  He  died  in  Boston,  February  12,  1793,  in  the 
sixtieth  year  of  his  age. 

MARION,  Francis,  colonel  in  the  regular  service,  and 
brigadier-general  in  the  militia  of  South  Carolina,  was  born 
in  the  vicinity  of  Georgetown,  in  South  Carolina,  in  the  year 
1733. 

Young  Marion,  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  entered  on  board  a 
vessel  bound  to  the  West  Indies,  with  a  determination  to  fit 
himself  for  a  seafaring  life.  On  his  outward  passage,  the  ves- 
sel was  upset  in  a  gale  of  wind,  when  the  crew  took  to  their 


MARION.  329 

boat  without  water  or  provisions,  it  being  impracticable  to 
save  any  of  either.  A  dog  jumped  into  the  boat  with  the 
crew,  and  upon  his  flesh,  eaten  raw,  did  the  survivors  of  these 
unfortunate  men  subsist  for  seven  or  eight  days;  in  which  pe- 
riod several  died  of  hunger. 

Among  the  few  who  escaped  was  young  Marion.  After 
reaching  land,  Marion  relinquished  his  original  plan  of  life, 
and  engaged  in  the  labours  of  agriculture.  In  this  occupa- 
tion he  conntinued  until  1759,  when  he  became  a  soldier,  and 
was  appointed  a  lieutenant  in  a  company  of  volunteers,  raised 
for  an  expedition  against  the  Cherokee  Indians,  commanded 
by  captain  William  Moultrie,  (since  general  Moultrie.)  This 
expedition  was  conducted  by  governor  Lyttleton :  it  was  fol- 
lowed in  a  year  or  two  afterwards  by  another  invasion  of  the 
Cherokee  country  by  colonel  Grant,  who  served  as  major-gen- 
eral in  our  war  under  sir  William  Howe. 

In  this  last  expedition  lieutenant  Marion  also  served,  hav- 
ing been  promoted  to  the  rank  of  captain.  As  soon  as  the  war 
broke  out  between  the  colonies  and  the  mother  country,  Ma- 
rion was  called  to  the  command  of  a  company  in  the  first  corps 
raised  by  the  state  of  South  Carolina.  He  was  soon  after- 
wards promoted  to  a  majority,  and  served  in  that  rank  un- 
der colonel  Moultrie,  in  his  intrepid  defence  of  fort  Moultrie, 
against  the  combined  attack  of  sir  Henry  Clinton  and  sir 
Henry  Parker,  on  the  2d  of  June,  1776.  He  was  afterwards 
placed  at  the  head  of  a  regiment  as  lieutenant  colonel  com- 
mandant, in  which  capacity  he  served  during  the  siege  of 
Charleston  ;  when,  having  fractured  his  leg  by  some  accident, 
he  became  incapable  of  military  duty,  and  fortunately  for  his 
country,  escaped  the  captivity  to  which  the  garrison  was,,  in 
the  sequel,  forced  to  submit. 

Upon  the  fall  of  Charleston,  many  of  the  leading  men  of  the 
state  of  South  Carolina  sought  personal  safety,  with  their  ad- 
herents, in  the  adjoining  states.  Delighted  at  the  present 
prospect,  these  faithful  and  brave  citizens  hastened  back  to 
their  country  to  share  in  the  perils  and  toils  of  war. 

Among  them  were  Francis  Marion  and  Thomas  Sumpter  ; 
both  colonels  in  the  South  Carolina  line,  and  both  promoted 
by  governor  Rutledge  to  the  rank  of  brigadier  general  in  the 
militia  of  the  state.  Enthusiastically  wedded  to  the  cause  of 
liberty,  he  deeply  deplored  the  doleful  condition  of  his  belov- 
ed country.  The  common  weal  was  his  sole  object;  nothing 
selfish,  nothing  mercenary,  soiled  his  ermine  character.  Fer- 
tile in  stratagem,  he  struck  unperceived;  and  retiring  to  those 
hidden  retreats,  selected  by  himself,  in  the  morasses  of  Pcdee 
and  Black  River,  he  placed  his  corps  not  only  out  of  the 
reach  of  his  foe,  but  often  out  of  the  discovery  of  his  friends. 

42 


330  MARION. 

A  rigid  disciplinarian,  he  reduced  to  practice  the  justice  of 
his  heart;  and  daring  the  diflicult  course  of  warfare,  through 
which  he  passed,  calumny  itself  never  charged  him  with  vio- 
lating the  rightsof  person,  property,  or  humanity.  Never  avoid- 
ing danger,  he  never  rashly  sought  it;  and  acting  for  all  around 
him  as  he  did  for  himself,  he  risked  the  lives  of  his  troops 
only  when  it  was  necessary.  Never  elated  with  prosperity, 
nor  depressed  by  adversity,  he  preserved  an  equanimity  which 
won  the  admiration  of  his  friends  and  exacted  the  respect  of 
his  enemies.  The  country,  from  Camden  to  the  sea-coast,  be- 
tween the  Pedee  and  Santee,  was  the  theatre  of  his  exertions. 
When  Charleston  fell  into  the  enemy's  hands,  lieutenant- 
colonel  Marion  abandoned  his  state,  and  took  shelter  in  North 
Carolina.  The  moment  he  recovered  from  the  fracture  of  his 
leg,  he  engaged  in  preparing  the  means  of  annoying  the  ene- 
my, then  in  the  flood-tide  of  prosperity.  With  sixteen  men 
only  he  crossed  the  Santee,  and  commenced  that  daring  sys- 
tem of  warfare  which  so  much  annoyed  the  British  army. 

Colonel  Peter  Horry,  in  his  life  of  general  Marion,  gives 
the  following  interesting  incident:  "About  this  time  we  re- 
ceived a  flag  from  the  enemy  in  Georgetown,  South  Carolina, 
the  object  of  which  was  to  make  some  arrangements  about  the 
exchange  of  prisoners.  The  flag,  after  the  usual  ceremony 
of  blindfolding,  was  conducted  into  Marion's  encampment. 
Having  heard great  talk  about  general  Marion,  his  fancy  had 
naturally  enough  sketched  out  for  him  some  stout  figure  of  a 
warrior,  such  as  O'Hara,  or  Cornwallis  himself,  of  martial 
aspect  and  flaming  regimentals.  But  what  was  his  surprise, 
when  led  into  Marion's  presence,  and  the  bandage  taken  from 
his  eyes,  he  beheld,  in  our  hero,  a  swarthy,  smoke-dried  little 
man,  with  scarcely  enough  of  thread-bare  homespun  to  cover 
his  nakedness!  and,  instead  of  tall  ranks  of  gay-dressed  sol- 
diers, a  handful  of  sun-burnt,  yellow-legged  militia-men;  some 
roasting  potatoes,  and  some  asleep,  with  their  black  firelocks 
and  powder-horns  lying  by  them  on  the  logs.  Having  recov- 
ered a  little  from  his  surprise,  he  presented  his  letter  to  gen- 
eral Marion,  who  perused  it,  and  soon  settled  every  thing  to 
his  satisfaction. 

The  officer  took  up  his  hat  to  retire. 

'Oh  no!'  said  Marion,  'it  is  now  about  our  time  of  dining, 
and  I  hope,  sir,  you  will  give  us  the  pleasure  ofiyour  compa- 
ny to  dinner.' 

At  mention  of  the  word  dinner,  the  British  officer  looked 
around  him,  but  to  his  great  mortification  could  see  no  sign 
of  a  pot,  pan,  Dutch  oven,  or  any  other  cooking  utensil,  that 
could  raise  the  spirits  of  a  hungry  man. 

'Well,  Tom,'  said  the  general  to  one  of  his  men,  'come, 
give  us  our  dinner.' 


MARION.  331 

The  dinner  to  which  he  alluded,  was  no  other  than  a  heap 
of  sweet  potatoes,  that  were  very  snugly  roasting  under  the 
embers,  and  which  Tom,  with  his  pine  stick  poker  soon  lib- 
erated from  their  ashy  confinement;  pinching  them  every  now 
and  then  with  his  fingers,  especially  the  big  ones,  to  see  whe- 
ther they  were  well  done  or  not.  Then,  having  cleansed 
them  of  the  ashes,  partly  by  blowing  them  with  his  breath  and 
partly  by  brushing  them  with  the  sleeve  of  his  old  cotton  shirt, 
he  piled  some  of  the  best  on  a  large  piece  of  bark,  and  placed 
them  between  the  British  officer  and  Marion,  on  the  trunk  of 
the  fallen  pine  on  which  they  sat. 

'I  fear,  sir,'  said  the  general,  'our  dinner  will  not  prove  so 
palatable  to  you  as  I  could  wish;  but  it  is  the  best  we  have.' 

The  officer,  who  was  a  well  bred  man,  took  up  one  of  the 
potatoesand  affected  to  feed,  as  if  he  had  found  a  great  dain- 
ty; but  it  was  very  plain  that  he  ate  more  from  good  manners 
than  good  appetite. 

Presently  he  broke  out  into  a  hearty  laugh.  Marion  look- 
ed surprised.  'I  beg  pardon,  general,'  said  he,  'but  one  can- 
not, you  know,  always  command  one's  conceits.  I  was  think- 
ing how  drolly  some  of  my  brother  officers  would  look,  if  our 
government  were  to  give  them  such  a  bill  of  fare  as  this.' 

'I  suppose,'  replied  Marion,  'it  is  not  equal  to  their  style 
of  dining.' 

'No,  indeed,'  quoth  the  officer,  'and  this,  I  imagine,  is  one 
of  your  accidental  lent  dinners:  a  sort  of  banyan.  In  gene- 
ral, no  doubt,  you  live  a  great  deal  better.' 

'Rather  worse,'  answered  the  general,  'for  often  we  don't 
get  enough  of  this.' 

'Heavens!'  rejoined  the  officer;  'but  probably  what  you 
lose  in  meal  you  make  up  in  malt,  though  stinted  in  jwovisions, 
you  draw  noble  pay.' 

'  Not  a  cent,  sir,'  said  Marion,   'not  a  cent.9 

'Heavens  and  earth!  then  you  must  be  in  a  bad  box.  I 
don't  see,  general,  how  you  can  stand  it.' 

'Why,  sir,'  replied  Marion,  with  a  smile  of  self-approba» 
tion,   'these  things  depend  on  feeling.' 

The  Englishman  said,  *  he  did  not  believe  it  would  be  an 
easy  matter  to  reconcile  his  feelings  to  a  soldier's  life  on  ge- 
neral Marion's  terms:  all  Jighting,  no  pay,  and  no  provisions, 
but  potatoes.' 

'Why,  sir,'  answered  the  general,  '  the  heart  is  all;  and 
when  that  is  much  interested,  a  man  can  do  any  thing.  Many 
a  youth  would  think  it  hard  to  indent  himself  a  slave  for  four- 
teen years.  But  let  him  be  over  head  and  ears  in  love,  and 
with  such  a  beauteous  sweetheart  as  Rachael,  and  lie  will  think 
110  more  of  fourteen  years  servitude,  than  young  Jacob  did, 


332  MARIILV. 

Well,  now  this  is  exactly  my  case.  I  am  in  love ;  ami  my 
sweetheart  is  Liberty.  Be  that  heavenly  nymph  my  cham- 
pion, and  these  woods  shall  have  charms  beyond  London  and 
Paris  in  slavery.  To  have  no  proud  monarch  driving  over 
me  with  his  gilt  coaches  ;  nor  his  host  of  excisemen  and  tax- 
gatherers,  insulting  and  robbing;  hut  to  be  my  own  master, 
my  own  prince  and  sovereign;  gloriously  preserving  my  na- 
tional dignity,  and  pursuing  my  true  happiness;  planting  my 
vineyards,  and  eating  their  lucious  fruit;  sowing  my  fields, 
and  reaping  the  golden  grain;  and  seeing  millions  of  brothers 
all  around  me,  equally  free  and  happy  as  myself.  This,  sir, 
is  what  I  long  for.' 

The  officer  replied,  that  both  as  a  man  and  a  Briton,  he 
must  certainly  subscribe  to  this  as  a  happy  state  of  things. 

'Happy,'  quoth  Marion,  'yes,  happy  indeed:  and  I  would 
rather  fight  for  such  blessings  for  my  country,  and  feed  on 
roots,  than  keep  aloof  though  wallowing  in  all  the  luxuries 
of  Solomon.  For  now,  sir,  I  walk  the  soil  that  gave  me 
birth,  and  exult  in  the  thought,  that  I  am  not  unworthy  of  it. 
I  look  upon  these  venerable  trees  around  me,  and  feel  that  I 
do  not  dishonour  them.  I  think  of  my  own  sacred  rights,  and 
rejoice  that  I  have  not  basely  deserted  them.  And  when  I 
look  forward  to  the  long,  long  ages  of  posterity,  I  glory  in  the 
thought  that  I  am  fighting  their  battles.  The  children  of  dis- 
tant generations  may  never  hear  my  name;  but  still  it  glad- 
dens my  heart  to  think  that  I  am  now  contending  for  their 
freedom,  with  all  its  countless  blessings.' 

I  looked  at  Marion  as  he  uttered  these  sentiments,  and  fan- 
cied I  felt  as  when  I  heard  the  last  words  of  the  brave  De 
Kalb.  The  Englishman  hung  his  honest  head  and  looked,  I 
thought,  as  if  he  had  sqen  the  upbraiding  ghosts  of  his  illus- 
trious countrymen,  Sidney  and  Hamden. 

On  his  return  to  Georgetown,  he  was  asked  by  colonel 
Watson,  why  he  looked  so  serious? 

*  I  have  cause,  sir,'  said  he,   '  to  look  so  serious.' 
'What!  has  general  Marion  refused  to  treat?' 
'No,  sir.' 

'Well,  then,  has  old  Washington  defeated  sir  Henry  Clin- 
ton, and  broke  up  our  army?' 

'  No,  sir,  not  that  neither,  but  worse.9 
4  Ah!  what  can  be  worse?' 

*  Why,  sir,  I  have  seen  an  American  general  and  his  offi- 
cers, without  pay,  and  almost  without  clothes,  living  on  roots, 
and  drinking  water;  and  all  for  Liberty  !  !  What  chance 
have  we  against  such  men?' 

It  is  said  colonel  Watson  was  not  much  obliged  to  him  for 
his  speech.    But  the  young  officer  was  so  struck  with  Ma 


MATHEWS— MERCER.  S33 

non's  sentiments,  that  he  never  rested  until  he  threw  up  his 
commission,  and  retired  from  the  service." 

General  Marion  was  in  stature  of  the  smallest  size,  thin  as 
well  as  low.  His  visage  was  not  pleasing,  and  his  manners 
not  captivating.  He  was  reserved  and  silent,  entering  into 
conversation  only  when  necessary,  and  then  with  modesty  and 
good  sense. 

He  possessed  a  strong  mind,  improved  by  its  own  reflec- 
tions and  observations,  not  by  books  or  travel.  His  dress 
was  like  his  address  ;  plain,  regarding  comfort  and  decency 
only.  In  his  meals  he  was  abstemious,  eating  generally  of 
one  dish,  and  drinking  water  mostly. 

He  was  sedulous  and  constant  in  his  attention  to  the  duties 
of  his  station,  to  which  every  other  consideration  yielded. 

The  procurement  of  subsistence  for  his  men,  and  the  con- 
trivance of  annoyance  to  his  enemy,  engrossed  his  entire  mind. 
He  was  virtuous  all  over;  never,  even  in  manner,  much  less 
in  reality,  did  he  trench  upon  right.  Beloved  by  his  friends, 
and  respected  by  his  enemies,  he  exhibited  a  luminous  exam- 
ple of  the  beneficial  effects  to  be  produced  by  an  individual, 
who,  witli  only  small  means  at  his  command,  possesses  a  vir- 
tuous heart,  a  strong  head,  and  a  mind  devoted  to  the  com- 
mon good.  After  the  war  the  general  married,  but  had  no 
issue. 

General  Marion  died  in  February,  1795,  leaving  behind 
him  an  indisputable  title  to  the  first  rank  among  the  patriots 
and  soldiers  of  our  revolution. 

MATHEWS,  Thomas,  was  one  of  those  who  early  em- 
barked in  the  cause  of  his  country  in  the  revolutionary  war, 
and  continued  a  steady  and  determined  supporter  of  American 
rights  in  every  stage  of  the  long,  doubtful,  and  arduous  con- 
test. He  was  afterwards  speaker  of  the  house  of  delegates  of 
Virginia.  In  public  life  general  Matthews  was  useful  and  in- 
telligent, in  private  life,  he  was  kind,  affectionate,  sociable, 
polite  and  benevolent.  He  died  at  Norfolk,  Virginia,  on  the 
twentieth  of  April,  1812.  General  Mathews  was  respected 
and  esteemed  by  all  who  had  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 

MERCER,  Hugh,  was  born  at  Aberdeen,  in  the  north  of 
Scotland,  and  received  his  education  in  the  university  of  that 
place.  His  profession  was  that  of  physician,  and  he  acted  in 
the  capacity  of  surgeon's  mate,  at  the  memorable  battle  of 
Culloden.  Soon  after  that  event,  (1746)  he  left  his  native 
country,  and  came  to  this.  He  settled  in  the  then  colony  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  wars  of  that  day, 
carried  on  in  the  back  parts  of  the  settlement,  against  the  sa- 
vages. He  was  with  general  Braddock  in  the  disastrous  cam- 
paign of  1755,  and  was  thus  early  the  companion  in  arms  of 


334  MERCER. 

the  illustrious  Washington.  He  served  in  the  expedition  under 
colonel  Armstrong,  in  the  year  1756,  and  received  a  medal 
for  his  good  conduct  at  the  battle  of  Kittaning,  from  the  cor- 
poration of  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  This  mark  of  approba- 
tion is  still  preserved  by  his  children,  as  a  sacred  memorial  of 
his  public  worth,  and  private  virtues.  In  this  battle,  which 
terminated  in  the  defeat  of  the  Indians  and  the  destruction  of 
their  town,  general  Mercer  was  severely  wounded  in  the  right 
arm.  which  was  broken.  Upon  that  occasion  he  narrowly 
escaped  being  taken  prisoner,  and  being  separated  from  his 
party,  wandered  a  fortnight  in  the  wilderness,  slaking  his 
thirst  in  the  brook  of  the  forest,  and  subsisting  on  the  body 
of  a  rattle-snake  which  he  had  killed,  until  he  reached  the 
settled  country. 

Being  a  physician,  he  applied  temporary  relief  to  his  wound. 
While  wandering  in  the  woods,  much  exhausted  from  loss  of 
blood,  and  the  want  of  proper  food  and  nourishment,  and  sur- 
rounded by  hostile  savages,  he  took  refuge  in  a  hollow  tree 
which  lay  on  the  ground.  In  that  situation  he  was,  when 
many  of  the  savages  came  up,  and  seated  themselves  on  the 
tree.  They  remained  there  some  time,  and  departed  without 
discovering  that  a  wounded  soldier  and  foe  was  near  them. 
General  Mercer  then  endeavoured  to  return  by  the  route  in 
which  the  army  had  advanced,  and,  incredible  as  it  may  ap- 
pear, he  reached  Fort  Cumberland,  through  a  trackless  wild, 
of  more  than  a  hundred  miles,  with  no  other  nutriment  than 
that  already  mentioned. 

After  the  peace  of  1763,  doctor  Mercer  came  from  Penn- 
sylvania, and  settled  in  Fredericksburg,  Virginia,  and  mar- 
ried Isabella,  the  youngest  daughter  of  John  and  Margaret 
Gordon. 

General  Mercer  was  a  zealous  advocate  for  the  rights  of  the 
colonists;  and  upon  the  breaking  out  of  the  war  between  them 
and  the  mother  country,  was  among  the  first  who  entered  the 
revolutionary  army.  He  was  soon  afterwards  honoured  by 
congress  with  a  brigadier  general's  commission.  For  a  long 
time  previous  to  the  American  revolution,  he  pursued  his  pro- 
fession as  a  physician,  and  had  a  very  extensive  practice.  To 
the  poor,  he  was  studiously  kind,  often  bestowing  on  them  his 
professional  attendance ;  and  in  his  last  will,  he  left  it  in 
special  charge  to  his  executors,  not  to  require  payment  of  the 
debts  due  by  those  in  indigent  circumstances. 

General  Mercer's  brigade  formed  a  part  of  the  left  wing  of 
Washington's  army,  in  the  capture  of  the  Hessians,  at  Tren- 
ton, in  December,  1776.  The  battle  of  Princeton,  on  the 
morning  of  the  3d  of  January,  1777,  was  commenced  by  ge- 
neral Mercer  with  his  column,  consisting  of  about  three  hun- 


MERCER.  333 

tired  and  fifty  men,  near  Stoney -brook.  Upon  hearing  the 
firing,  general  Washington,  in  person,  led  on  his  force  to  the 
support  of  Mercer,  with  two  pieces  of  artillery.  The  force 
engaged  against  him  was  the  British  17th  regiment,  com- 
manded by  colonel  Mawhood.  After  the  third  fire,  in  conse- 
quence of  a  charge  made  by  the  British,  Mercer's  corps, 
chiefly  raw  militia,  fled  in  disorder. 

General  Mercer  made  great  exertions  to  rally  them,  and 
was  much  exposed  to  the  enemy's  fire.  His  horse  becoming 
restiffand  unmanageable,  he  dismounted,  thinking  he  could 
then  the  more  effectually  rally  his  broken  troops,  but  he  was 
surrounded  by  the  enemy,  whom  he  resisted  with  great  deter- 
mination and  bravery,  but  was  overpowered.  It  is  said  that  he 
was  stabbed  after  he  had  surrendered.  General  Washington 
coming  up  at  this  juncture,  changed  the  fortune  of  the  day. 
After  the  battle  of  Princeton,  general  Mercer  lived  a  week, 
being  about  fifty-five  years  of  age.  He  was  buried  at  Prince- 
ton, but  the  body  was  afterwards  removed  to  Philadelphia, 
and  interred  in  Christ  church-yard,  with  military  honours. 
Provision  was  made  by  congress,  in  1793,  for  the  education 
of  his  youngest  son,  Hugh  Mercer. 

General  Wilkinson,  in  his  memoirs,  in  giving  the  particu- 
lars of  the  battle  of  Princeton,  says:  "But  in  general  Mercer 
we  lost  a  chief,  who  for  education,  experience,  talents,  dispo- 
sition, integrity  and  patriotism,  was  second  to  no  man  but  the 
commander  in  chief,  and  was  qualified  to  fill  the  higher  trusts 
of  the  country."  General  Wilkinson,  in  the  same  work,  ob- 
serves, "That  the  evening  of  January  1st,  1777,  was  spent 
with  general  St.  Clair,  by  several  officers,  of  whom  Mercer 
was  one,  who,  in  conversation,  made  some  remarks  disapprov- 
ing the  appointment  of  captain  William  Washington  to  a  ma- 
jority in  the  horse,  which  was  not  relished  by  the  company: 
he  thus  explained  himself  :"  "  We  are  not  engaged  in  a  war 
of  ambition  ;  if  it  had  been  so,  I  should  never  have  accepted 
a  commission  under  a  man  (Patrick  Henry)  who  had  never 
seen  a  day's  service;  we  serve  not  for  ourselves,  hut  for  our 
country:  and  every  man  should  be  content  to  fill  the  place  in 
which  he  can  be  most  useful.  I  know  Washington  to  be  a 
good  captain  of  infantry,  but  I  know  not  what  sort  of  a  ma- 
jor of  horse  he  may  make :  and  I  have  seen  good  captains 
make  indifferent  majors.  For  my  own  part,  my  views  in  this 
contest  are  confined  to  a  single  object,  that  is,  the  success  of 
the  cause,  and  God  can  witness  how  cheerfully  I  would  lay- 
down  my  life  to  secure  it." 

Little  did  he  then  expect,  that  a  few  fleeting  moments  would 
have  sealed  the  compact.  His  death  was  a  most  serious  loss 
to  his  country,  his  family  and  friends. 


336  MEIGS. 

MEIGS,  Return,  Jonathan,  was  born  in  Middletown, 
in  the  state  of  Connecticut.  Immediately  after  the  battle  of 
Lexington,  which  opened  the  bloody  drama  of  the  revolution, 
he  marched  a  company  of  light  infantry,  completely  uniform- 
ed and  equipped,  which  he  had  previously  organized  and  dis- 
ciplined, for  the  environs  of  Boston.  He  was  soon  appointed 
a  major  by  the  state  of  Connecticut,  and  marched  with  colonel 
Arnold  in  his  tedious  and  suffering  expedition  to  Canada.  In 
the  bold  enterprise  of  storming  Quebec,  he  commanded  a  bat- 
talion ;  and,  after  penetrating  within  the  walls  of  the  city,  was 
made  prisoner,  together  with  captains  Morgan  and  Dearborn, 
since  become  generals,  and  well  distinguished  in  American 
history.  In  1776,  major  Meigs  was  exchanged,  and  return- 
ed home.  In  1777,  general  Washington  appointed  him  co- 
lonel, with  authority  to  raise  a  regiment.  Colonel  Meigs, 
having  raised  a  part  of  his  regiment,  marched  to  New-Haven, 
to  carry  into  execution  a  plan  projected  for  the  surprisal  and 
destruction  or  a  part  of  the  enemy  at  Sag-Harbour,  on  Long 
Island,  where  large  quantities  of  stores  and  forage  had  been 
collected  for  the  army  at  New-York;  the  account  of  which  is 
given  in  "  Marshall's  life  of  Washington,"  as  follows. 

"  General  Parsons  intrusted  the  execution  of  this  plan  to 
colonel  Meigs,  a  very  gallant  oflicer,  who  had  accompanied 
Arnold  in  his  memorable  march  to  Quebec,  and  had  been  ta- 
ken prisoner  in  the  unsuccessful  attempt  made  on  that  place 
by  Montgomery.  He  embarked  with  about  two  hundred  and 
thirty  men  on  board  thirteen  whale-boats,  and  proceeded  along 
the  coast  to  Guilford,  from  whence  he  was  to  cross  the  Sound. 
Here  he  was  detained  some  time  by  high  winds  and  a  rough 
sea;  but  on  the  23d  of  May,  about  one  o'clock  in  the  afternoon, 
he  re-embarked  one  hundred  and  seventy  of  his  detachment, 
and  proceeded,  under  convoy  of  two  armed  sloops,  across  the 
Sound,  to  the  north  division  of  the  Island  near  Southold.  The 
cast  end  of  Long  Island  is  deeply  intersected  by  a  bay,  on  the 
north  side  of  which  had  been  a  small  foraging  party,  against 
which  the  expedition  was  in  part  directed;  but  they  had 
inarched  to  New-York  two  days  before. 

"Here,  however,  information  was  received,  that  the  stores 
had  not  been  removed  from  Sag-Harbour,  which  lies  in  the 
northern  division  of  the  Island,  and  that  a  small  guard  still  re- 
mained there  for  their  defence.  The  boats  were  immediately 
conveyed  across  the  land,  a  distance  of  about  fifteen  miles,  in- 
to the  bay,  where  the  troops  re-embarked,  and  crossing  the 
bay,  landed  within  four  miles  of  Sag-Harbour,  at  two  o'clock 
in  the  morning:  which  place  they  completely  surprised,  and 
carried  with  fixed  bayonets.  At  the  same  time  a  division  of 
the  detachment  secured  the  armed  schooner  and  the  vessels, 


MEIGS.  357 

With  the  forage  which  had  been  collected  for  the  supply  of  the 
army  at  New- York.  These  brigs  and  sloops,  twelve  in  num. 
ber,  were  set  on  fire  and  entirely  consumed.  Six  of  the  ene- 
my were  killed  and  ninety  of  them  taken  prisoners;  a  very 
few  escaped  under  cover  of  the  night.  Colonel  Meigs  return- 
ed to  Guilford  with  his  prisoners;  having  thus  completely  ef- 
fected the  object  of  the  expedition,  without  the  loss  of  a  single 
man,  and  having  moved  with  such  uncommon  celerity,  as  to 
have  transported  his  men  by  land  and  water  ninety  miles  in 
twenty-five  hours. 

"As  a  mark  of  their  approbation  of  his  conduct,  congress 
directed  a  sword  to  be  presented  to  him,  and  passed  a  resolu- 
tion expressive  of  their  high  sense  entertained  of  his  merit,  and 
of  the  prudence,  activity  and  valour,  displayed  by  himself  and 
his  party,  in  this  expedition." 

In  1779,  colonel  Meigs  commanded  one  of  the  regiments 
Which  stormed  and  carried  Stony  Point,  under  general 
Wayne. 

He  was  one  of  the  first  settlers  of  the  wilderness,  which 
has  since  become  the  state  of  Ohio  ;  having  landed  at  the 
confluence  of  the  Ohio  and  Muskingum  rivers,  with  the  ear- 
liest emigrants.  A  government  for  the  north  western  terri- 
tory had  been  prepared,  by  an  ordinance  of  the  Congress  of 
1787.  Governor  St.  Clair,  and  the  judges  of  the  territory 
had  not  arrived.  The  emigrants  were  without  civil  laws  or 
civil  authority.  Colonel  Meigs  drew  up  a  concise  system  of 
regulations,  which  were  agreed  to  by  the  emigrants,  as  the 
rule  of  conduct  and  preservation,  until  the  proper  authorities 
should  arrive.  To  give  these  regulations  publicity,  a  large 
oak,  standing  near  the  confluence  of  the  rivers,  was  selected, 
from  which  the  bark  was  cut  off,  of  sufficient  space  to  attach 
the  sheet,  on  which  the  regulations  were  written ;  and  they 
were  beneficially  adhered  to  until  the  civil  authorities  arrived* 
This  venerable  oak  was,  to  the  emigrants,  more  useful,  and 
as  frequently  consulted,  as  the  oracle  of  ancient  Delphos,  by 
its  votaries. 

During  a  long  life  of  activity  and  usefulness,  no  man  ever 
sustained  a  character  more  irreproachable  than  colonel  Meigs. 
He  was  a  pattern  of  excellence  as  a  patriot,  a  philanthropist, 
and  a  Christian.  In  all  the  vicissitudes  of  fortune,  the  duties 
of  religion  were  strictly  observed,  and  its  precepts  strikingly 
exemplified.  The  latter  part  of  Ms  life  was  devoted  to  the 
amelioration  of  the  condition  of  the  aborigines  of  the  country, 
for  which  purpose  he  accepted  the  agency  of  the  Cherokee  sta- 
tion ;  and  in  the  discharge  of  his  duties  he  inspired  the  high- 
est degree  of  confidence  in  that  nation,  by  whom  he  was  em- 
phatically  denominated  "The  White  Path."    In  all  cases 

43 


333  MIFFLIN— MILLER. 

they  revered  him  as  their  father,  and  obeyed  his  counsel  as  an 
unerring  guide. 

His  death  is  a  loss  to  the  country,  and  especially  to  that  sta- 
tion. His  remains  were  interred  with  the  honours  of  war, 
amidst  a  concourse  of  sincere  friends,  and  in  the  anguish  of  un- 
dissembled  sorrow.  His  death  was  serenely  happy  in  the  as- 
surance of  Christian  hope.  He  died  on  the  28th  of  January. 
18£3,  at  the  Cherokee  Agency. 

MIFFLIN,  Thomas,  a  major  general  in  the  American  army 
during  the  revolutionary  war,  and  governor  of  Pennsylvania, 
was  born  in  the  year  1744,  of  parents  who  were  quakers. — 
His  education  was  intrusted  to  the  care  of  the  reverend  Dr. 
Smith,  witli  whom  he  was  connected  in  habits  of  cordial  inti- 
macy and  friendship,  for  more  than  forty  years.  Active  and 
zealous,  lie  engaged  early  in  opposition  to  the  measures  of  the 
British  parliament.  He  was  a  member  of  the  first  congress 
in  1774.  He  took  arms,  and  was  among  the  first  officers 
commissioned  on  the  organization  of  the  continental  army,  be- 
ing appointed  quarter-master-general  in  August,  1775.  For 
this  offence  he  was  read  out  of  the  society  of  Quakers.  In 
1777,  he  was  very  useful  in  animating  the  militia,  and  enkin- 
dling the  spirit,  which  seemed  to  have  been  damped.  His  san- 
guine disposition  and  his  activity  rendered  him  insensible  to 
the  value  of  that  coolness  and  caution,  which  were  essential  to 
the  preservation  of  such  an  army,  as  was  then  under  the  com- 
mand of  general  Washington.  In  1787,  he  was  a  member  of 
the  convention,  which  framed  the  constitution  of  the  Unit- 
ed States,  and  his  signature  is  affixed  to  that  instrument. 
In  October,  1788,  he  succeeded  Franklin  as  president  of 
the  supreme  executive  council  of  Pennsylvania,  in  which 
station  he  continued  till  October,  1790.  In  September  a  con- 
stitution for  this  state  was  formed  by  a  convention,  in  which 
lie  presided,  and  he  was  chosen  the  first  governor.  In  1794, 
during  the  insurrection  in  Pennsylvania,  he  employed,  to  the 
advantage  of  his  country,  the  extraordinary  powers  of  elocu- 
tion, with  which  he  was  endowed.  The  imperfection  of  the 
militia  laws  was  compensated  by  his  eloquence.  He  made  a 
circuit  through  the  lower  counties,  and,  at  different  places, 
publicly  addressed  the  militia  on  the  crisis  in  the  affairs  of 
their  country,  and  through  his  animating  exortations,  the  state 
furnished  the  quota  required.  He  was  succeeded  in  the  office 
of  governor  by  Mr.  M'Kean,  at  the  close  of  the  year  1799. 
He  died  at  Lancaster,  January  £0,  1 800,  in  the  fifty-seventh 
year  of  his  age.  He  was  an  active  and  zealous  patriot,  who 
had  devoted  much  of  his  life  to  the  public  service. 

MILLER,  Henry,  was  a  brave  and  useful  soldier  of  the 
revolutionary  war.     He  served  in  the  successive  rank  of  lieu- 


M'KEAN.  339. 

tenant,  captain,  major,  lieutenant  colonel,  and  colonel.  In 
the  retreat  across  the  state  of  New-Jersey,  he  performed  im- 
portant services  in  embarrassing  the  retreat  of  the  enemy.  In 
the  battle  of  Monmouth,  he  had  two  horses  killed  under  him. 
He  was  in  many  battles  during  the  war.  In  the  Western  ex- 
pedition, he  was  quarter-master  general.  He  commanded  a 
brigade  of  militia  for  the  defence  of  Baltimore,  in  the  late  war. 
He  had  likewise,  during  his  life,  filled,  with  great  respect,  ma- 
ny civil  offices,  amongst  which  was  that  of  superintendant  of 
the  revenue  for  the  district  of  Pennsylvania,  to  which  office 
he  was  appointed  by  president  Adams. 

He  died  on  the  5th  of  April,  1824,  at  Carlisle,  Pennsyl- 
vania. 

M'KEAN,  Thomas,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  declaration 
ef  independence,  afterwards  chief  justice  and  governor  of  the 
state  of  Pennsylvania,  was  born  on  the  19th  day  of  March, 
1734,  in  Chester  county,  in  the  then  province  of  Pennsylva- 
nia. His  father,  William  M'Kean,  was  a  native  of  Ireland, 
but  married  in  this  country.  The  subject  of  this  notice,  was 
at  an  early  age  placed  under  the  tuition  of  the  Rev.  Francis  xil- 
jison,  D.  D.  a  man  of  distinguished  learning,  and  who  conduct- 
ed the  most  celebrated  academy  in  the  province.  In  that  institu- 
tion, Thomas  M'Kean  acquired  a  sound  knowledge  of  the  lan- 
guages, and  was  instructed  in  the  practical  branches  of  the 
mathematics  and  moral  philosophy.  He  proceeded  to  New- 
Castle,  Delaware,  and  read  law  in  the  office  of  David  Kin- 
ney, Esquire.  Having  been  admitted  to  the  bar,  he  con- 
tinued to  reside  at  New  Castle,  where  he  soon  acquired  a 
solid  reputation,  and  obtained  full  business.  Extending  his 
practice  into  Pennsylvania,  he  was,  in  the  year  1757,  ad- 
mitted to  the  bar  of  the  supreme  court  of  that  province. 
During  the  early  part  of  his  career,  he  was  particularly  re- 
markable for  his  attentive  habits  of  business,  and  for  his  de- 
votion to  the  acquisition  of  knowledge,  and  thus  laid  the* 
foundation  of  his  subsequent  usefulness  and  distinction.  In 
the  year  1762,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  assembly  for  New 
Castle  county,  and  was  annually  returned  for  eleven  succes- 
sive years,  until  his  removal  to  Philadelphia,  as  a  place  of  re- 
sidence; and  even  after  that  removal,  so  great  was  the  confi- 
dence reposed  in  him  by  the  freeholders  of  New  Castle  coun- 
ty, that  they  elected  him  annually  for  six  years  more,  though 
he  frequently  communicated  to  them,  through  the  newspapers, 
his  desire  to  decline  the  honour.  At  the  end  of  this  period, 
after  he  had  represented  Delaware  in  congress,  and  become 
chief  justice  of  Pennsylvania,  an  occurrence  took  place  of  so 
interesting  a  character,  that  we  think  it  worthy  of  being  re- 
nted to  our  readers.     On  the  day  of  the  general  election  in 


340  M'KEAN. 

Delaware,  in  October,  1779,  he  waited  on  bis  constituents  at 
New  Castle,  and  after  a  long  address  on  the  situation  and 
prospects  of  the  United  States,  in  which  he  displayed  the 
wisdom  of  the  statesman,  and  the  energy  of  the  patriot,  he 
desired  to  be  no  longer  considered  one  of  the  candidates  for 
the  state  legislature,  assigning  reasons  which  were  received 
as  satisfactory.  Soon  after  he  had  retired,  a  committee  of 
the  electors  present  waited  on  him,  informed  him  that  they 
would  excuse  him  from  serving  in  the  assembly,  but  request- 
ed, in  the  name  of  the  electors,  that  as  the  times  were  critical, 
and  they  could  fully  rely  on  his  judgment,  he  would  recom- 
mend seven  persons  in  whom  they  might  confide,  as  represen- 
tatives. So  singular  a  method  of  exhibiting  their  confidence 
in  him,  could  not  but  excite  his  surprise;  however,  he  instant- 
ly acknowledged  the  compliment,  and  desired  the  committee 
to  acquaint  his  fellow  citizens,  that  he  thanked  them  for  the 
honour  intended  him,  but  as  he  knew  not  only  seven,  but  se- 
•venttj  of  the  gentlemen  then  attending  the  election,  whom  he 
believed  to  be  worthy  of  their  votes,  he  felt  assured,  they 
would  not,  on  further  reflection,  subject  him  to  the  hazard 
of  giving  offence,  by  the  preference  he  must  show,  if  he  com- 
plied with  their  request;  and  hoped  to  be  excused.  The  com- 
mittee having  left  him,  soon  returned,  and  stated,  that  the 
electors  after  hearing  his  reply,  had  unanimously  reiterated 
their  request,  and  declared,  that  a  compliance  by  him  would 
offend  no  one.  He,  thereupon,  instantly,  though  reluctantly, 
wrote  down  seven  names,  and  handed  them  to  the  committee,, 
with  the  observation,  that  his  conduct  would  at  least  evidence 
a  reciprocity  of  confidence  between  them.  The  election  pro- 
ceeded harmoniously,  and  resulted  in  the  choice  of  the  seven 
gentlemen  whom  he  had  thus  named.  He  was  afterwards  ac- 
customed to  speak  of  this  transaction  as  one  of  the  most  gra- 
tifying circumstances  of  his  life. 

Upon  the  adoption  of  the  first  act  of  the  British  parliament, 
imposing  * 'stamp  duties'*  on  the  colonies,  a  congress  of  com- 
mittees from  different  legislative  assemblies,  was,  upon  the 
suggestion  of  the  assembly  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  convened 
at  New  York,  in  October,  1765.  Of  this  congress,  Mr. 
M'Kean  was  a  representative  from  Delaware,  and  was  the 
surviving  member.  He  was  one  of  the  committee  appointed 
to  draft  an  address  to  the  house  of  commons  of  Great  Bri- 
tain. At  this  early  period,  he  displayed,  in  support  of  th& 
rights  of  his  country,  that  unbending  firmness  and  energy, 
which  illustrated  his  subsequent  public  conduct.  On  his  re- 
turn to  New  Castle,  he,  with  his  colleague,  Mr.  Rodney,  re- 
ceived the  unanimous  thanks  of  the  assembly  of  Delaware. 
He  continued  to  be  engaged  in  various  public  employments. 


M'KEAN.  341 

mid,  in  1765,  was  appointed  a  justice  of  tlie  court  of  common 
pleas  and  quarter  sessions,  and  of  the  orphans'  court,  for  the 
county  of  New  Castle.  In  November  term,  1765,  and  in 
February  term,  1766,  he  sat  on  the  bench  which  ordered  all 
the  officers  of  the  court  to  proceed  in  their  several  vocations, 
as  usual,  on  unstamped  paper.  This  was  done  accordingly, 
and  it  is  believed  this  was  the  first  court  that  made  such  an 
order,  in  any  of  the  colonies. 

In  relation  to  all  the  public  events  which  soon  after  follow- 
ed, his  opinions  were  firm  and  decided.  He  was  uniform  and 
energetic  in  resisting  the  usurpations  of  the  British  crown. 
Immediately  after  the  second  attempt  of  the  mother  country 
to  raise  a  revenue  from  the  colonies,  without  their  consent, 
which  was  made  by  an  act,  imposing  a  duty  on  tea,  &c.  a  cor- 
respondence  took  place  among  leading  and  influential  cha- 
racters, in  most  of  the  colonies,  who  concerted  measures  of 
opposition  to  this  proceeding,  and  procured  a  meeting  of  de- 
legates from  their  respective  houses  of  assembly,  at  Philadel- 
phia, in  September,  1774.  Mr.  M'Kean  took  an  active  part 
in  this  affair,  as  he  had  done  in  1765,  and  was  appointed  a 
representative  of  Delaware,  though  he  had,  a  short  time  be- 
fore, removed  his  residence  to  Philadelphia.  At  the  opening 
of  this  congress,  whose  conduct  proved  it  the  most  glorious 
assemblage  which  the  world  ever  knew,  Mr.  M'Kean  ap- 
peared as  a  representative  from  Delaware.  He  was  annually 
returned  as  a  member,  until  the  independence  of  his  country 
was  formally  acknowledged  by  the  treaty  of  peace,  in  1783. 

Two  circumstances  are  peculiar  in  his  history,  as  connect- 
ed with  this  period.  He  was  the  only  man  who  was,  without 
intermission  of  time,  a  member  of  the  revolutionary  congress, 
from  the  day  of  its  opening,  in  1774,  till  the  preliminaries  of 
the  peace  of  1783,  were  signed.  The  various  public  duties 
of  different  members,  with  other  circumstances,  concurred  to 
produce  this  fact.  Though  he  was  also  engaged  in  other  im- 
portant public  affairs,  yet  his  residence  at  Philadelphia  in- 
duced his  constituents  to  continue  to  return  him.  The  other 
circumstance,  to  which  we  refer,  is,  that  while  he  represent- 
ed the  state  of  Delaware  in  this  congress,  until  1783,  and  was 
in  1781,  president  of  congress,  as  will  be  presently  stated, 
yet  from  July,  1777,  he  held  the  appointment  and  executed 
the  duties  of  chief  justice  of  Pennsylvania.  Each  of  these 
states  claimed  him  as  her  own;  and  for  each  were  his  ta- 
lents faithfully  exerted. 

He  was  particularly  active  and  useful  in  procuring  the  de- 
claration of  independence,  in  1776.  Delaware  was  repre- 
sented in  congress  by  Csesar  Rodney,  George  Read,  and 
Thomas  M'Kean.  Mr.  Rodney  was  absent  when  the  ques- 
tion was  discussed  in  committee  of  the  whole,  and  Mr.  Read 


$42  M'KEA.V 

in  committee  liatl  voted  against  the  declaration.  Delaware 
was  thus  divided.  All  the  other  states,  except  Pennsylvania, 
had  voted  in  favour  of  the  measure,  and  it  therefore  hecamc 
important  to  the  friends  of  the  declaration,  that  the  votes  of 
these  two  states  should  he  secured.  Mr.  M'Kean,  immedi- 
ately, at  his  own  expense,  sent  an  express  for  Mr.  Rodney, 
who,  in  consequence  of  it,  arrived  in  Philadelphia  just  as  con- 
gress was  assembling  on  the  morning  of  the  4th  of  July.  He 
was  met  at  the  state  house  door  by  Mr.  M'Kean.  After  a 
friendly  salutation,  and  without  a  word  being  spoken  on  the 
subject,  they  entered  the  hall  together,  and  took  their  seats. 
When  the  vote  of  Delaware  was  called,  Mr.  Rodney  rose,  in 
his  boots  and  spurs,  just  as  he  had  arrived,  and  briefly  ex- 
pressing his  conviction  that  the  welfare  of  his  country  de- 
manded the  declaration,  voted  with  Mr.  M'Kean,  and  secur- 
ed the  voice  of  Delaware.  The  state  of  Pennsylvania,  on 
this  day,  also  joined  in  the  same  vote,  (two  of  the  members, 
who  voted  against  it  in  committee,  being  absent)  and  thus  the 
declaration  became  the  unanimous  act  of  the  thirteen  states. 

Shortly  after  the  declaration  of  independence,  Mr.  M'Kean 
was  appointed  colonel  of  a  regiment  of  associators,  of  the 
city  of  Philadelphia,  and  marched  at  the  head  of  them,  to 
support  general  Washington,  until  a  flying  camp  of  ten  thou- 
sand men  was  raised.  On  his  return  to  Philadelphia,  he 
found  he  had  been  elected  a  member  of  the  convention  for 
forming  a  constitution  for  the  state  of  Delaware.  He  pro- 
ceeded to  New  Castle,  and  wrote  in  a  tavern,  without  a  book, 
or  any  assistance,  the  constitution  which  was  afterwards 
adopted. 

On  the  10th  of  July,  1781,  he  was  elected  president  of  con- 
gress. The  following  extracts  from  the  journal,  will  illus- 
trate this  part  of  our  subject,  and  it  is  thought,  will  prove  in- 
teresting to  the  reader: 

"October  23,  1781,  the  secretary  laid  before  congress,  a 
letter  from  the  president,  in  the  words  following: 

"  Sin — I  must  beg  you  to  remind  congress,  that  when  they 
did  me  the  honour  of  electing  me  president,  and  before  I  as 
sumed  the  chair,  I  informed  them,  that  as  chief  justice  of 
Pennsylvania,  I  should  be  under  the  necessity  of  attending 
the  supreme  court  of  that  state,  in  the  latter  end  of  Septem- 
ber, or  at  farthest,  in  October.  That  court  will  be  held  to- 
day. I  must,  therefore,  request,  that  they  will  be  pleased  to 
proceed  to  the  choice  of  another  president. 

"I  am,  sir, 

"  With  much  respect, 

«<  Your  most  obedient  humble  servant, 
"THOMAS  M'KEAN. 
ft  Charles  Thomson,  Secretary  of  Congress." 


M'KEAN.  343 

"  Whereupon,    Resolved,  That  the  resignation  of  Mr. 
*\PKcan  be  accepted. 

"  Ordered,  That  the  election  of  a  president,  be  postponed 
until  to-morrow." 

"  October  24,  1781.  On  motion  of  Mr.  Witherspoon,  se- 
conded by  Mr.  Montgomery, 

"  Resolved,  tinanimously,  That  Mr.  M'Kean  be  requested 
to  resume  the  chair,  and  act  as  president,  until  the  first  Mon- 
day in  November  next,  the  resolution  of  yesterday,  notwith- 
standing." 

"November  5th,  1781.  Congress  proceeded  to  the  election 
of  a  president,  and  the  ballot  being  taken,  the  Honourable 
John  Hanson  was  elected." 

"November  7,  1781.  Resolved,  That  the  thanks  of  con- 
gress be  given  to  the  Honourable  Thomas  M'Kean,  late  pre- 
sident of  congress,  in  testimony  of  their  approbation  of  his 
conduct  in  the  chair,  and  in  the  execution  of  public  business." 

His  commission,  as  chief  justice  of  Pennsylvania,  was 
dated  July  28,  1777.  During  the  progress  of  the  revolution, 
Philadelphia  being  the  seat  of  government  of  the  states,  and  an 
object  of  peculiar  w  atchfulness  on  the  part  of  the  enemy,  the 
just  performance  of  Mr.  M'Kean's  judicial  functions  requir- 
ed not  only  the  learning  of  the  lawyer,  but  the  unyielding 
spirit  of  the  patriot.  We  find  him  proclaiming  from  the  bench 
the  law  of  justice  and  his  country,  with  distinguished  learn- 
ing, ability,  and  integrity.  Regardless  of  the  powers  of  the 
crown  of  Great  Britain,  he  did  not  hesitate  to  hazard  his  own 
life,  by  causing  to  be  punished,  even  unto  death,  those  who 
were  proved  to  be  traitors  to  their  country,  while  he  demon- 
strated that  popular  excitement  against  individuals  accused 
of  offences,  could  not  in  the  slightest  degree  divert  him  from 
the  sound  and  inflexible  discharge  of  his  public  duty.  It  was 
energy,  tempered  with  justice  and  humanity,  that  carried  us 
triumphantly  through  the  terrible  conflict. 

Having  passed  through  the  trying  scenes  of  the  revolution, 
with  the  well-earned  and  undisputed  reputation  of  being  one 
of  the  most  unwavering  and  efficient  whigs  of  the  times,  he  de- 
voted himself  to  the  discharge  of  the  duties  of  chief  justice, 
until  the  year  1799,  when  he  was  elected  governor  of  the  com- 
monwealth of  Pennsylvania.  Of  his  judicial  character,  we 
have  not  room  to  speak  at  large.  In  all  the  qualifications  of 
1  he  judge,  however,  it  may,  without  hesitation,  be  said,  that 
he  had  few  equals  in  this  or  any  other  country.  They  who 
remember  the  supreme  court  of  Pennsylvania  while  he  presid- 
ed there,  speak  of  the  dignity  which  it  preserved,  and  the 
reverence  which  it  inspired;  and  his  judicial  opinions,  at  a 
period  when  the  law  of  the  state  was  unsettled,  and  when  a 


344  M'KEAIS. 

mastermind  Mas  requisite  to  reduce  it  to  a  system,  have  esta- 
blished  for  him  the  reputation  of  being  one  of  the  ablest  law- 
yers of  his  country.  To  the  present  day,  his  memory  is  held 
in  the  courts,  in  the  most  profound  respect  and  veneration, 
and  successive  judges  have,  by  their  unvarying  testimony, 
given  unfading  lustre  to  his  judicial  fame.  In  1790.  he  was 
a  member  of  the  convention  which  framed  the  constitution  of 
Pennsylvania.  The  best  talents  of  the  state  were  engaged  in 
this  important  work,  and  among  them,  the  force  of  Mr. 
M'Kean's  knowledge  and  opinions,  was  felt  and  justly  ap- 
preciated. 

In  1799,  he  was  elected  governor  of  Pennsylvania.  His 
election  was  the  result  of  a  warm  conflict  between  the  two 
great  parties  which  were  then  assuming  those  distinct  politi- 
cal ranks,  into  which,  for  many  years,  the  people  of  our  coun- 
try continued  to  be  divided.  His  success  was  the  precursor 
of  Mr.  Jefferson's  elevation  to  the  Presidency ;  and  during 
the  whole  period  of  that  gentleman's  administration,  the  weight 
of  Mr.  M'Kean's  opinions  and  conduct,  was  directed  to  the 
upholding  of  the  principles  which  marked  the  policy  of  the  ge- 
neral government.  Such  is  the  nature  of  the  constitution  of 
Pennsylvania,  with  respect  to  the  powers  of  the  governor,  that 
party  spirit  will  be  roused,  and  the  feelings  of  individuals, 
governed  by  personal  interest,  will  be  exhibited  during  every 
administration.  Whatever,  therefore,  may  have  been  the* 
opinions  of  some,  with  regard  to  governor  M'Kean's  admi- 
nistration, while  they  were  under  the  excitement  of  the  per- 
sonal feelings  of  hope  or  disappointment,  yet,  during  the 
whole  constitutional  period  of  nine  years,  the  people  were 
with  him,  and  at  this  day,  when  his  conduct  is  viewed  through 
the  medium  of  candour  and  truth,  it  is  not  denied,  that  that 
administration  was  marked  by  uncommon  ability,  and  with 
great  benefit  to  the  state.  His  messages  to  the  different  le- 
gislative assemblies,  are  characterized  by  peculiar  elegance 
and  force  of  language,  and  are  replete  with  the  soundest 
maxims  of  political  wisdom,  and  the  clearest  practical  views 
of  the  policy  of  government. 

During  the  whole  of  his  life,  he  was  remarkable  for  the 
most  unbending  integrity  of  character.  He  possessed  a  qua- 
lification which  lias  been  justly  noticed,  as  a  distinguished 
trait  in  the  character  of  Washington  ;  a  determination  to  do 
what  he  thought  best  for  the  interest  of  the  state,  without  re- 
gard to  the  clamour  of  ignorance  or  of  discontent.  Independ- 
ent of  the  opinion  which  the  narrow  minded,  but  self-sufficient 
might  please  to  adopt  with  regard  to  him,  he  was  willing  to 
be  judged  by  the  consequences  of  his  actions,  however  remote 
those  consequences  might  be. 


M'KINSTRY.  S45 

In  person,  Mr.  M'Kcan  was  tall,  erect,  and  well  formed. 
His  countenance,  in  a  remarkable  manner,  bespoke  the  firm- 
ness and  intelligence  for  which  he  was  distinguished.  His 
manners  were  impressive  and  dignified.  He  retired,  in  1808, 
from  the  cares  of  a  long  life,  faithfully,  ably,  and  successful- 
ly, devoted  to  the  service  of  his  country  ;  and  for  the  remain- 
der of  his  days,  enjoyed,  in  the  peaceftil  pursuits  of  science 
and  literature,  the  consciousness  of  a  well  earned  and  honour- 
able fame. 

He  died  at  his  mansion,  in  Philadelphia,  on  the  24th  of 
June,  1817,  in  the  eighty  fourth  year  of  his  age. 

He  had  outlived  all  the  enmities  which  an  active  and  con- 
spicuous part  in  public  affairs  had,  in  the  nature  of  things, 
created  ;  and  his  memory  will  be  cherished  as  that  of  one  of 
the  most  useful,  among  the  able  and  virtuous  fathers  of  a 
mighty  republic. 

M'KINSTRY,  Johx,  was  a  brave  officer  in  the  revolution- 
ary  war.  At  the  first  call  of  his  country,  he  engaged  in 
her  service  ;  and  from  the  memorable  battle  of  Bunker's  Hill, 
with  which  her  sanguinary  trials  began,  down  to  the  surren- 
der of  Cornwallis,  at  Yorktown,  with  which  they  gloriously 
ended,  his  zealous  and  efficient  support  was  given  to  the  cause 
of  freedom.  He  had  been  repeatedly  and  severely  wounded  ; 
and  some  of  the  enemy's  balls  he  has  borne  with  him  to  the  tomb 
in  which  his  remains  are  deposited.  As  a  partizan  officer  he 
was  particularly  distinguished ;  and  in  many  instances  he 
showed,  that  to  a  daring  spirit  of  gallantry,  (which  was  per- 
haps, his  most  peculiar  characteristic)  he  added  the  skill  and 
conduct  so  seldom  attained,  and  yet  so  indispensable  to  the 
formation  of  that  character. 

One  incident,  in  the  life  of  this  veteran,  is  too  remarkable 
to  be  passed  slightly  over.  At  the  battle  of  the  Cedars,  (thir- 
ty miles  above  Montreal,  on  the  St.  Lawrence)  colonel  M'Kins- 
try,  then  captain  in  colonel  Patterson's  regiment  of  continen- 
tal troops,  was  twice  wounded  and  taken  prisoner  by  the  In- 
dians. The  intrepidity  of  captain  M'Kinstry,  as  a  partizan 
officer,  to  Avhich  we  have  alluded  above,  had  rendered  him 
alike  the  object  of  their  fears,  and  of  their  unforgiving  resent- 
ment. The  British  officers  were  too  much  in  dread  of  their 
savage  allies,  on  account  of  their  vast  superiority  of  numbers, 
to  risk  an  interposition  of  their  authority  to  prevent  a  horrid 
sacrifice  they  saw  preparing  :  Already  had  the  victim  been 
bound  to  the  tree,  and  surrounded  by  the  faggots  intended  for 
his  immolation;  hope  had  fled,  and  in  the  agony  of  despair,  he 
had  uttered  that  mystic  appeal  which  the  brotherhood  of  Ma- 
sons never  disregard ;  when  as  if  Heaven  had  interposed  for  his 

44 


346  MONTGOMERY. 

preservation,  the  warrior  Brandt  understood  him  and  saved 
him. 

Brandt  had  been  educated  in  Europe,  and  had  there  been 
initiated  into  the  mysteries  of  free-masonry.  The  advantages 
of  education,  and  his  native  strength  of  mind,  gave  him  an 
ascendancy  over  the  uncultured  sons  of  the  forest,  that  few 
other  chiefs  possessed.  Situated  as  he  was,  the  impending 
danger  of  a  brother  must  have  forcibly  brought  to  mind  his 
obligation  to  support  him  in  the  time  of  peril.  His  utmost 
endeavours  were  accordingly  used,  and  they  were  happily 
successful  in  obtaining  for  him  an  immediate  respite  and 
eventful  ransom. 

After  the  settlement  of  peace  he  retired  to  the  cultivation 
of  his  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  Hudson,  sustaining  an  unblem- 
ished reputation,  and  enjoying  the  reward  of  his  toils  and  suf- 
ferings, in  the  respect  which  was  accorded,  as  well  as  to  the 
rectitude  of  his  private  life,  as  to  the  patriotic  services  he 
had  rendered  his  country. 

He  died  in  the  town  of  Livingston,  New-York,  in  the  year 
1822. 

MONTGOMERY,  Richard,  a  major-general  in  the  ar- 
my of  the  United  States,  in  the  revolutionary  war,  was  born 
in  the  north  of  Ireland,  in  the  year  1737.  He  possessed  an 
excellent  genius,  which  was  matured  by  a  fine  education.  En- 
tering the  army  of  Great  Britain,  he  successfully  fought  her 
battles  with  Wolfe,  at  Quebec,  1759,  and  on  the  very  spot, 
where  he  was  doomed  to  fall,  when  fighting  against  her,  un- 
der the  banners  of  freedom.  After  his  return  to  England,  he 
quitted  his  regiment  in  1772,  though  in  a  fair  way  to  prefer- 
ment. He  had  imbibed  an  attachment  to  America,  viewing 
it  as  the  rising  seat  of  arts  and  freedom.  After  his  arrival  in 
this  country,  lie  purchased  an  estate  in  New- York,  about  a 
hundred  miles  from  the  city,  and  married  a  daughter  of  judge 
Livingston.  He  now  considered  himself  as  an  American. 
When  the  struggle  with  Great  Britain  commenced,  as  lie  was 
known  to  have  an  ardent  attachment  to  liberty,  and  had  ex- 
pressed his  readiness  to  draw  his  sword  on  the  side  of  the  col- 
onies, the  command  of  the  continental  forces  in  the  northern 
department  was  intrusted  to  him  and  general  Schuyler,  in  the 
fall  of  1775.  By  the  indisposition  of  Schuyler,  the  chief  com- 
mand devolved  upon  him  in  October.  He  reduced  fort  Cham 
blee,  and  on  the  third  of  November,  captured  St.  Johns.  On 
the  12th  he  took  Montreal.  Leaving  a  few  troops  in  Mon- 
treal, he  despatched  several  detachments  into  the  province,  en- 
couraging the  Canadians  to  forward  on  provisions,  and  pro- 
ceeded with  expedition  to  Quebec.  He  formed  a  junction  at 
i'oint-Aux-Trembles  vwth  colonel  Arnold,  who  had  beendes- 


MONTGOMERY.  347 

patched  through  the  wilderness  with  a  hody  of  troops  from  the 
American  army  at  Cambridge.  The  combined  forces  com- 
menced the  siege  of  the  capital  on  the  1st  of  December,  prior 
to  which  general  Montgomery  sent  in  a  summons  to  governor 
Carlton,  to  surrender,  in  order  to  avoid  the  horrors  of  a  storm. 
The  flag  was  fired  upon  and  returned.  Means,  however, 
were  devised  by  which  the  summons  was  conveyed  to  the  in- 
habitants, but  Carlton  evinced  astonishing  iniiexbility  and 
firmness  of  mind  on  this  trying  occasion.  The  bombardment 
was  soon  after  begun  from  five  small  mortars,  but  with  very 
little  effect.  In  a  few  days  general  Montgomery  opened  a 
six  gun  battery,  about  seven  hundred  yards  distant  from  the 
walls,  but  his  pieces  were  of  too  small  calibre  to  make  any 
impression.  Convinced  that  the  siege  jnust  soon  be  raised, 
or  the  place  be  stormed,  the  general  decided  on  the  latter,  al- 
though he  esteemed  success  but  barely  within  the  grasp  of  pos- 
sibility. He  was  induced  to  adopt  this  measure  in  order  to 
meet  the  expectations  of  the  whole  colonics,  who  looked  up  to 
him  for  the  speedy  reduction  of  that  province,  which  would 
he  completed  by  the  capture  of  the  capital.  The  upper  town 
was  strongly  fortified,  the  access  to  which  from  the  lower  town 
was  very  difficult  on  account  of  its  almost  perpendicular  steep- 
ness. His  confidence  in  the  ardour  of  his  troops,  and  a  thirst 
for  glory,  induced  him  to  make  the  assault,  or  perish  in  the  at- 
tempt. The  garrison  of  Quebec,  consisted  of  about  1520 
men,  viz.  800  militia,  450  seamen,  and  the  remainder  marines 
and  regulars.  The  Americans  consisted  of  only  eight  hun- 
dred. 

The  siege  having  been  for  some  ineffectually  carried  on,  the 
last  day  of  the  year  was  determined  for  the  assault.  The  morn 
was  ushered  in  with  a  fall  of  snow.  The  general  divided  his 
little  force  into  four  detachments.  Colonel  Livingston,  at  the 
head  of  the  Canadians,  was  directed  to  make  a  feint  against 
St.  John's  Gate  ;  and  major  Brown,  another  against  Cape 
Diamond,  in  the  upper  town,  while  himself  and  Arnold  should 
advance  against  the  lower  town,  the  first  object  of  real  attack. 
Montgomery  advanced  at  the  head  of  the  New  York  troops, 
along  the  St.  Lawrence,  and  having  assisted  with  own  hands 
in  pulling  up  the  pickets,  which  obstructed  his  approach  to 
the  second  barrier,  which  he  was  determined  to  force,  when 
the  only  gun  that  was  fired  from  the  battery  of  the  astonished 
enemy,  killed  him  and  his  two  aids.  The  spot  where  general 
Montgomery  fell,  is  a  place  a  little  above  Frazer's  wharf,  un- 
der Cape  Diamond.  The  road  there  is  extremely  narrow, 
and  will  not  admit  of  more  than  five  people  to  walk  abreast, 
A  barrier  had  been  made  across  the  road,  and  from  the  win- 
dows of  a  low  house,  which  formed  part  of  it,  were  planted 


34a  MONTGOMERY. 

two  cannon.  At  his  appearing  upon  a  little  rising  ground, 
at  the  distance  of  about  twenty  or  thirty  yards,  they  were 
discharged.  He  and  his  two  aids-de-camp  fell  at  the  same 
time,  and  thence  rolled  upon  the  ice  in  the  river,  which  always 
forms,  in  the  winter,  upon  its  side.  The  next  morning,  a  party 
being  sent  out  to  pick  up  the  dead,  he  was  discovered  among 
the  slain.  He  was  immediately  taken  to  the  prison  where 
the  Americans  were  confined,  as  they  had  denied  his  death; 
upon  which  they  acknowledged  him,  and  burst  into  tears. 
The  same  night  he  was  buried  by  a  few  soldiers,  without  any 
kind  of  distinction  whatever,  at  the  corner  of  the  powder  house, 
near  port  Louis.  The  lieutenant  governor  of  Quebec,  Mr. 
Cramche,  having  served  with  him  in  the  British  army,  was 
induced,  by  the  persuasions  of  a  lady,  who  was  afterwards 
Mrs.  Cramche,  to  order  him  a  coffin,  but  made  in  the  rough- 
est manner.  The  other  officers  were  indiscriminately  thrown 
with  their  clothes  on,  into  the  same  grave  with  their  men.  As 
there  was  a  great  quantity  of  snow  on  the  ground,  and  the 
earth  was  frozen  very  hard,  it  was  impossible  to  dig  the  graves 
very  deep  and  of  course  the  bodies  were  but  slightly  covered, 
On  the  thawing  of  the  snow  in  the  ensuing  spring,  many  of 
them  appeared  above  ground,  and  became  offensive.  They 
were,  however,  again  buried,  on  general  Carlton's  being  made 
acquainted  with  the  circumstance. 

He  was  thirty-eight  years  of  age.  He  was  a  man  of  great 
military  talents,  whose  measures  were  taken  with  judgment, 
and  executed  with  vigour.  With  undisciplined  troops,  who 
were  jealous  of  Iiiui  in  the  extreme,  he  yet  inspired  them  with 
his  own  enthusiasm.  He  shared  with  them  in  all  their  hard- 
ships, and  thus  prevented  their  complaints.  His  industry 
could  not  be  wearied,  his  vigilance  imposed  upon,  nor  his  cou- 
rage intimidated.  Above  the  pride  of  opinion,  when  a  mea- 
sure was  adopted  by  the  majority,  though  contrary  to  his 
judgment,  he  gave  it  his  full  support. 

The  following  character  of  general  Montgomery,  we  copy 
from  Ramsay's  history  of  the  American  revolution  : 

"Few  men  have  ever  fallen  in  battle,  so  much  regretted  by 
both  sides,  as  general  Montgomery.  His  many  amiable  qua- 
lities had  procured  him  an  uncommon  share  of  private  aifec- 
tion,  and  his  great  abilities  an  equal  proportion  of  public 
esteem.  Being  a  sincere  lover  of  liberty,  he  had  engaged  in 
the  American  cause  from  principle,  and  quitted  the  enjoy- 
ment of  an  easy  fortune,  and  the  highest  domestic  felicity,  to 
take  an  active  share  in  the  fatigues  and  dangers  of  a  war,  in- 
stituted for  the  defence  of  the  community  of  which  he  was  an 
adopted  member.  His  well  known  character  was  almost 
equally  esteemed  by  the  friends  and  foes  of  the  side  which  h« 


MONTGOMERY.  349 

had  espoused.  In  America,  he  was  celebrated  as  a  martyr  to 
the  liberties  of  mankind  ;  in  Great  Britain,  as  a  misguided 
good  man,  sacrificing  to  what  he  supposed  to  be  the  rights  of 
his  country.  His  name  was  mentioned  in  parliament  with 
singular  respect.  Some  of  the  most  powerful  speakers  in  that 
assembly,  displayed  their  eloquence  in  sounding  his  praise, 
and  lamenting  his  fate.  Those  in  particular  who  had  been 
his  fellow  soldiers  in  the  previous  war,  expatiated  on  his  many 
virtues.  The  minister  himself  acknowledged  his  worth,  while 
lie  reprobated  the  cause  for  which  he  fell.  He  concluded  an 
involuntary  panegyric,  by  saying,  "  Curse  on  his  virtues,  they 
have  undone  his  country." 

To  express  the  high  sense  entertained  by  his  country,  of  his 
services,  congress  directed  a  monument  of  white  marble,  with 
the  following  inscription  on  it,  and  which  was  placed  in  front 
of  St.  Paul's  church,  New  York. 

THIS    MONUMENT 

Was  erected  by  order  of 
Congress,  25th  January,   177G, 

To  transmit  to  posterity, 

A  grateful  remembrance  of  the 

Patriotism,  conduct,  enterprize,  and 

Pcrseverence, 

OF    MAJOR    GENERAL 

RICHARD  MONTGOMERY  ; 

Who,  after  a  series  of  success, 
Amidst  the  most  discouraging  difficulties, 
Fell  in  the  attack 
On  Quebec, 
31st  December,    1775, 
Aged  38  years. 
The  remains  of  general  Montgomery,  after  resting  forty 
two  years  at  Quebec,  by  a  resolve  of  the  state  of  New  York, 
were  brought  to  the  city  of  New  York,  on  the  8th  of  July, 
1818,  and  deposited,  with  ample  form,  and  grateful  ceremo- 
nies, near  the  aforesaid  monument  in  St.  Paul's  church. 

The  removal  of  the  remains  was  left  by  his  excellency,  go- 
vernor Clinton,  to  the  family  of  the  deceased,  and  colonel  L. 
Livingston,  (a  nephew  of  general  Montgomery,)  proceeded  to 
Quebec  for  the  purpose.  They  were  identified  by  the  faithful 
hand  of  an  honest  and  ingenious  old  soldier,  who  attended  the 
funeral,  and  whose  retentive  memory,  almost  half  a  century 
after  that  mournful  era,  is  yet  spared  to  direct  the  hand  of  af- 
fection to  that  hallowed  turf.  Montgomery  was  the  perso- 
nal and  intimate  friend  of  the  lieutenant  general  of  the  Gana- 
das ;  was  recognized  by  him  after  the  battle,  and  favoured 
with  a  coffin  and  a  decent  interment.  He  was  buried  within 
the  walls  of  the  city. 


S50  MONTGOMERY. 

The  coffin  which  contained  the  remains  had  not  fallen  to 
pieces.  It  appears  to  have  heen  of  a  rough  structure,  with  a 
silver  plate  on  its  lid.  There  was  no  inscription  visible  on 
the  plate.  The  anatomy  was  in  a  perfect  state  of  preserva- 
tion. The  skeleton  of  the  head,  with  the  exception  of  the  un- 
der jaw,  which  was  shot  away,  was  perfect.  Three  teeth  of  the 
under  jaw  were  together. 

The  remains  were  taken  up  with  great  care  by  colonel  Liv- 
ingston, and  secured  by  binding  a  Tarpaulin  close  round  the 
old  coffin,  and  enclosing  them  in  an  iron  bound  chest. 

At  Troy  they  took  them  from  the  box  and  tar  cloth,  and  en- 
closed them,  together  with   the  original    coffin,  in  a   most 
splendid  mahogany  coffin,  With  the  following  inscription,  cle- 
gantlv  engraved  upon  a  silver  plate,  placed  on  its  lid  : 
THE  STATE  OF  NEW  YORK, 
in  noNouR  or 
GENERAL  RICHARD   MONTGOMERYr, 
Who  fell  gloriously  fighting  for  the 

INDEPENDENCE    AND    LIBERTY    OF    THE    UNITED 
STATES, 

Before  the  walls  of  Quebec,  the  31st  day  of 

December,  1775,  caused  these  remains 

Of  this  distinguished  Hero,  to 

Be  conveyed  from  Quebec, 

And  deposited  on  the  eighth  day  of  July,  1818, 

In  St.  Paul's  Church,  in  the  city  of 

New  York,  near  the  monument 

Erected  to  his  memory, 

BY     THE    UNITED     STATES. 

This  patriotic  act  of  the  state  of  New  York,  redounds 
much  to  its  honour. 

The  following  just  remarks  were  made  in  the  Albany  Re- 
gister on  this  occasion: 

"The  hallowed  remains  of  our  beloved  Montgomery  arc 
removed  from  a  foreign  land,  where,  for  near  forty  three  years* 
they  have  reposed  "unknowing  and  unknoxvn."  From  all 
the  busy  world  who  have  listened  to  a  relation  of  his  patri- 
otism, his  devotion  and  his  valour;  from  the  host  of  thou- 
sands, who  saw  with  amazement  the  might  of  his  Herculean 
arm,  when  raised  in  the  cause  of  liberty,  one,  one  only,  could 
point  to  the  sod,  under  whose  favoured  pall  our  hero  slept. 
That  country  to  which  his  manly  and  generous  soul  was  so 
exclusively  devoted,  has  received  his  decaying  fragments  of 
mortality  to  its  bosom.  In  consigning  these  sacred  manes  to 
the  protection  of  our  common  mother,  a  grateful  people  will 
cherish  in  their  hearts  a  sweet  remembrance  of  his  virtues, 
with  an  embittered  regret  at  his  untimely  fate. 


MORGAN.  351 

i 

a 

"We  have  now,  in  relation  to  one  of  the  Fathers  of  our 
country,  redeemed  our  character  from  the  imputation  of  in- 
gratitude. All  this  was  due  to  the  bereaved,  disconsolate, 
and  venerable  companion  of  our  fallen  chieftain's  bosom,  and 
infinitely  more  was  due  to  the  memory  and  remains  of  the  de- 
voted martyr,  on  the  sacred  and  imperishable  altar  of  Free- 
dom. 

"The  age-stricken  widow  of  our  hero  yet  lives  to  see  the 
loved  remains  of  her's  and  her  country's  Montgomery,  re- 
moved from  the  plains  of  the  crimsoned  Abraham,  and  depo- 
sited in  the  bowels  of  a  country,  at  the  shrine  of  whose  wel- 
fare he  proffered  all  the  warmth  of  his  soul,  all  the  energies 
of  his  mind,  and  all  the  mightiness  of  his  strength." 

MORGAN,  Daniel,  brigadier  general  of  the  Virginia 
line,  in  the  revolutionary  war,  deservedly  ranked  among  the 
best  and  most  efficient  officers  of  the  United  States,  was  born 
in  Durham  township,  Bucks  county,  Pennsylvania,  from 
whence  he  emigrated  to  New  Jersey,  and  from  thence  to  Vir- 
ginia, in  175  5.  Like  many  of  the  greatest  men  of  every  coun- 
try, his  native  condition  was  indigent,  so  much  so  as  to  ren- 
der it  necessary  for  young  Morgan  to  enter  into  service  as  a 
labourer  for  daily  Mages. 

Soon  after  his  arrival  in  Virginia  he  obtained  employment 
from  farmer  Roberts,  near  Charleston,  in  the  county  of  Jeffer- 
son, (then  Berkley.)  Afterwards  he  was  engaged  to  drive  a 
wagon  for  John  Ashley,  overseer  for  Nathaniel  Burrel,  Esq. 
at  his  estate  on  the  Shenandoah  river,  in  Frederic  county, 
near  Berry's  ferry.  "When  he  left  Ashley,  Morgan  had,  by 
his  care  and  industry,  amassed  enough  cash  to  purchase  a 
wagon  and  team,  which  he  did,  and  soon  afterwards  entered 
with  it  into  the  employment  of  Mr.  John  Ballantine,  at  his 
establishment  on  Occoquan  creek.  At  the  expiration  of  his 
year,  Braddock's  expedition  was  spoken  of  as  an  event  cer- 
tainly to  take  place  in  the  course  of  the  ensuing  summer. 
Morgan  reserved  himself,  wagon,  &c.  for  this  expedition; 
when  he  joined  the  army,  but  in  what  character  is  not  known. 

He  received,  during  his  military  service,  a  severe  wound 
in  the  face,  the  scar  of  which  was  through  life  very  visible. 
We  do  not  understand  in  what  affair  this  happened;  but  it 
was  from  a  rifle  or  musket,  aimed,  as  he  said  himself,  by  an 
Indian.  The  bullet  entered  the  back  of  his  neck,  and  passed 
through  his  left  cheek,  knocking  out  all  his  hind  teeth  on  that 
side. 

In  the  course  of  the  campaign  he  was  unjustly  punished, 
by  being  brought  to  thebaljiert,  under  a  charge  of  contumely 
to  a  British  officer,  where  he  received  five  hundred  lashes. 
The  officer  being  afterwards  convinced  of  his  cruel  error,  made 


35£  MORGAN. 

every  amend  in  his  power  to  the  maltreated  Morgan;  who, 
satisfied  with  the  contrition  evinced  hy  the  officer,  magnani- 
mously forgave  him.  Nor  did  the  recollection  of  this  person- 
al outrage  operate  in  the  least  to  the  prejudice  of  the  British 
officers  in  the  revolutionary  war.  Many  of  them,  as  is  well 
known,  fell  into  the  hands  of  Morgan,  and  invariably  receiv- 
ed from  him  compassionate  and  kind  treatment. 

The  general  would  often,  among  his  intimate  friends,  re- 
cur to  this  circumstance,  the  narrative  whereof  he  generally 
concluded  hy  saying,  in  a  jocular  way,  that  "King  George 
was  indebted  to  him  one  lash  yet;  for  the  drummer  miscount- 
ed one,  and  he  knew  well  when  he  did  it;  so  that  he  only  re- 
ceived four  hundred  and  ninety-nine,  when  he  promised  him 
five  hundred." 

In  this  period  of  life,  from  twenty  to  thirty  years  of  age. 
Morgan  was  extremely  dissipated,  and  spent  much  of  his  time 
in  vulgar  tippling  and  gambling  houses.  However,  although 
habituated  to  the  free  use  of  ardent  spirits,  he  was  never  con- 
sidered as  a  drunkard:  and  though  enamored  with  cards  and 
dice,  he  was  a  cautious  player,  increasing  rather  than  dimin- 
ishing his  cash  fund.  This  course  of  life  subjected  him  to  ma- 
ny affrays  and  furious  pugilistic  combats,  in  which  he  never 
failed  to  take  a  leading  part.  The  theatre  of  these  exploits 
was  Berrystown,  a  small  village  in  the  county  of  Frederic, 
commonly  called  Battletown:  named,  as  is  generally  suppos- 
ed, from  the  fierce  combats  fought  on  its  soil  under  the  ban 
ncrs  of  Morgan. 

Whatever  may  have  been  the  cause,  it  is  certain  that  he 
spent  much  of  his  leisure  at  this  place;  that  he  fought  there 
many  severe  combats;  and  that  though  often  vanquished,  he 
never  was  known  to  omit  seizing  the  first  opportunity  which 
presented,  after  return  of  strength,  of  taking  another  bout 
with  his  conqueror;  and  this  he  repeated  from  time  to  time, 
until  at  length  victory  declared  in  his  favor. 

Such  was  the  innate  invincibility  of  young  Morgan,  which 
never  forsook  him,  when,  by  the  strength  of  his  unimproved 
genius,  and  the  propitiousness  of  fortune,  he  mounted  on  an 
extended  theatre  of  action;  as  replete  with  difficulty  as  to  him 
with  glory.  When  he  returned  from  Braddock's  expedition 
he  re-assumed  his  former  employment,  and  drove  his  own 
wagon.  In  a  few  years  his  previous  savings,  added  to  the 
little  he  earned  in  the  campaign,  enabled  him  to  purchase  a 
small  tract  of  land  from  a  Mr.  Blackburn,  in  the  county  of 
Frederic,  on  which,  during  our  war,  he  erected  a  handsome 
mansion  house,  with  suitable  accompanying  improvements, 
and  called  it  Saratoga,  in  commemoration  of  the  signal  victo- 
ry obtained  by  general  Gates,  to  which  he  had  himself  princi- 


MORGAN.  353 

pally  contributed.  On  this  farm  Morgan,  having  married 
shortly  after  his  return  from  his  military  tour,  resided  when 
(he  revolutionary  war  broke  out. 

The  smattering  of  experience  gained  during  Braddock's 
expedition,  pointed  him  out  to  the  leading  men  of  Frederic, 
as  qualified  to  command  the  first  company  of  riflemen  raised 
in  that  county  in  defence  of  our  country.  He  speedily  com- 
pleted his  company,  as  all  the  finest  youth  of  Frederic  flocked 
to  him;  among  whom  was  lieutenant,  afterwards  colonel 
Heth,  and  many  others,  who  in  the  course  of  the  war  became 
approved  officers.  With  this  company  Morgan  hastened  to 
the  American  army  encamped  before  Boston,  in  1774,  and 
soon  afterwards  was  detached  by  the  commander  in  chief  un- 
der Arnold,  in  his  memorable  expedition  against  Quebec. 

The  bold  and  disastrous  assault,  planned  and  executed  by 
the  celebrated  Montgomery  against  that  city,  gave  opportu- 
nity for  the  display  of  heroism  to  individuals,  and  furnished 
cause  of  deep  regret  to  the  nation  by  the  loss  of  the  much  be- 
loved Montgomery.  No  officer  more  distinguished  himself 
than  did  captain  Morgan.  Arnold  commanded  the  column  to 
which  Morgan  was  attached,  who  became  disabled  by  a  ball 
through  his  leg  early  in  the  action,  and  was  carried  off  to  a 
place  of  safety. 

Our  troops  having  lost  their  leader,  each  corps  pressed  for- 
ward as  the  example  of  its  officer  invited.  Morgan  took  the 
lead,  and  preceded  by  sergeant,  afterwards  lieutenant  colo- 
nel, Potterfield,  who  unfortunately  fell  at  the  battle  of  Cam- 
den, when  his  life  might  have  saved  an  army,  mounted  the 
first  barrier;  and  rushing  forward,  passed  the  second  barrier, 
lieutenant  Heth  and  Serjeant  Potterfield  only  before  him.  In 
this  point  of  the  assault,  a  group  of  noble  spirits  united  in 
surmounting  the  obstacles  opposed  to  our  progress;  among 
them  was  Greene  and  Thayer  of  Rhode  Island,  Hendricks  of 
Pennsylvania,  and  Humphreys  of  Virginia ;  the  two  last  of 
whom  were  killed. 

Vain  was  this  blaze  of  glory.  Montgomery's  fall  stopped 
the  further  advance  of  the  principal  column  of  attack;  and 
the  severity  of  the  raging  storm,  the  obstacles  of  nature  and 
of  art  in  our  way,  and  the  combined  attack  of  the  enemy's 
force,  no  longer  divided  by  attention  to  the  column  of  Mont- 
gomery, overpowered  all  resistance.  Morgan  (with  most  of 
the  corps  of  Arnold)  was  taken;  and  experienced  a  different 
treatment  from  sir  Guy  Carleton,  than  was  at  that  period  cus- 
tomary for  British  officers  to  dispense  to  American  prisoners. 
The  kindness  of  Carleton,  from  motives  of  policy,  applied 
more  forcibly  to  the  privates  than  to  our  officers,  and  produc- 
ed a  durable  impression. 

45 


354  MORGAN. 

While  Morgan  was  in  confinement  at  Quebec,  the  following 
anecdote,  told  by  himself,  manifests  the  high  opinion  enter- 
tained by  the  enemy  of  his  military  talents  from  his  conduct 
in  this  assault.  He  was  visited  occasionally  by  a  British  of- 
ficer, to  him  unknown;  but  from  his  uniform,  he  appeared  to 
belong  to  tjie  navy,  and  to  he  an  officer  of  distinction.  Dur- 
ing one  of  his  visits,  after  conversing  upon  many  topics,  "he 
asked  Morgan  if  he  did  not  begin  to  be  convinced  that  the  re- 
sistance of  America  was  visionary?  and  he  endeavoured  to 
impress  him  with  the  disastrous  consequences  which  must  in- 
fallibly ensue,  if  the  idle  attempt  was  persevered  in,  and  very 
kindly  exhorted  him  to  renounce  the  ill-advised  undertaking. 
He  declared,  with  seeming  sincerity  and  candor,  his  admira- 
tion of  Morgan's  spirit  and  enterprise,  which  he  said  was  wor- 
thy of  a  better  cause;  and  told  him,  if  he  would  agree  to 
withdraAv  from  the  American,  and  join  the  British  standard, 
he  was  authorised  to  promise  him  the  commission,  rank  and 
emoluments,  of  a  colonel  in  the  royal  army."  Morgan  re- 
jected the  proposal  with  disdain;  and  concluded  his  reply,  by 
observing,  "That  he  hoped  lie  would  never  again  insult  him 
in  his  distressed  and  unfortunate  situation,  by  making  him 
offers  which  plainly  implied  that  he  thought  him  a  rascal." 
The  officer  withdrew,  and  the  offer  was  never  repeated. 

As  soon  as  our  prisoners  were  exchanged,  Morgan  hasten- 
ed to  the  army;  and  by  the  recommendations  of  general 
Washington,  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  a  regiment. 
In  this  station  he  acted  under  the  commander  in  chief,  in  1777, 
when  a  select  rifle  corps  was  formed  out  of  the  others  in  the 
army,  and  committed  to  his  direction,  seconded  by  lieutenant 
colonel  Richard  Butler,  of  Pennsylvania,  and  major  Morris, 
of  New  Jersey,  two  officers  of  high  talents,  and  specially 
qualified  for  the  enterprising  service  to  which  they  were  as- 
signed. Morgan  and  his  riflemen  were  singularly  useful  to 
Washington;  but  our  loss  of  Ticonderoga,  and  the  impetuous 
advance  of  Burgoyne,  proclaimed  so  loudly  the  gloomy  con- 
dition of  our  affairs  in  the  north,  that  the  genera!,  who  thought 
only  of  the  public  good,  deprived  himself  of  Morgan,  and 
sent  him  to  Gates,  where  he  was  persuaded  his  services  were 
most  required. 

The  splendid  part  he  acted  on  that  occasion,  and  how  much 
his  exertions  contributed  to  the  glorious  triumph  achieved  af- 
terwards, are  circumstances  generally  known. 

After  the  return  of  Morgan  to  the  main  army,  he  continued 
actively  employed  by  the  commander  in  chief  and  never  fail- 
ed to  promote  the  good  of  the  service  by  his  sagacity,  his  vi- 
gilance, and  his  perseverance.  In  1780,  his  health  became 
much  impaired,  and  he  obtained  leave  of  absence,  when  he 


MORGAN.  355 

returned  to  his  family  in  Frederic,  where  he  continued  until 
after  the  fall  of  Charleston. 

When  general  Gates  was  called  to  the  chief  command  in 
the  south,  he  visited  Morgan,  and  urged  the  colonel  to  accom- 
pany him.  Morgan  did  not  conceal  his  dissatisfaction  at 
the  treatment  he  had  heretofore  received,  and  proudly  spoke 
of  the  important  aid  lie  had  rendered  to  bin,  and  the  un- 
grateful return  he  had  experienced.  Being  some  few  weeks 
afterwards  promoted  by  congress,  to  the  rank  of  brigadier 
general  by  brevet,  with  a  view  of  detaching  him  to  the  south, 
he  repaired  to  the  army  of  Gates,  but  did  not  reach  Carolina 
in  time  to  take  a  part  in  the  battle  of  Camden.  He  joined 
Gates  at  Hillsborough,  and  was  sent  under  Smallwood  to  Sa- 
lisbury, with  all  the  force  fitted  for  service.  Gates,  as  soon 
as  he  had  prepared  the  residue  of  his  army,  followed,  and 
gave  to  Morgan,  in  his  arrangements  for  the  field,  the  com- 
mand of  the  light  troops. 

Greene  now  arrived  as  the  successor  of  Gates,  which  was 
followed  by  that  distribution  of  his  force  which  led  to  the 
battle  of  the  Cowpens;  the  influence  of  which  was  felt  in 
every  subsequent  step  of  the  war  in  the  Carolinas. 

The  following  account  of  the  battle  of  the  Cowpens,  we  copy 
from  Ramsay's  history  of  the  American  revolution: 

"Lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton  was  detached  by  lord  Corn- 
wallisin  pursuit  of  Morgan,  with  eleven  hundred  men,  and  to 
'•push  him  to  the  utmost."  He  had  two  field  pieces,  and  a 
superiority  of  infantry  in  the  proportion  of  five  to  four,  and  of 
calvary  in  the  proportion  of  three  to  one.  Besides  this  ine- 
quality of  force,  two  thirds  of  the  troops  under  general  Mor- 
gan were  militia.  With  these  fair  prospects  of  success,  Tarle- 
ton  engaged  Morgan  at  the  Cowpens,  with  the  expectation  of 
driving  him  out  of  South-Carolina.  The  latter  drew  up  his 
men  in  two  lines.  The  whole  of  the  southern  militia,  with 
one  hundred  and  ninety  from  North-Carolina,  were  put  under 
the  command  of  colonel  Pickens.  These  formed  the  first  line, 
and  were  advanced  a  few  hundred  yards  before  the  second,  with 
orders  to  form  on  the  right  of  the  second,  when  forced  to  re- 
tire. The  second  line  consisted  of  the  light  infantry,  and  a 
corps  of  Virginia  militia  riflemen.  Lieutenant  Colonel  Wash- 
ington, with  his  calvary  and  about  forty-five  militia  men, 
mounted  and  equipped  with  swords,  were  drawn  up  at  some 
distance  in  the  rear  of  the  whole.  The  open  wood  in  which 
they  were  formed,  was  neither  secured  in  front,  flank  or  rear. 
On  the  side  of  the  British,  the  light  legion  infantry  fusileers, 
though  worn  down  with  extreme  fatigue,  were  ordered  to 
form  in  line.  Before  this  order  was  executed,  the  line,  though 
far  from  being  complete,  was  led  to  the  attack  by  Tarleton 


35G  MORGAN. 

himself.  They  advanced  with  a  shout,  and  poured  in  an  inces- 
sant fire  of  musketry.  Colonel  Pickens  directed  the  men  un- 
der his  command  to  restrain  their  fire,  till  the  British  were 
within  forty  or  fifty  yards.  This  order,  though  executed  with 
great  firmness,  was  not  sufficient  to  repel  their  advancing  foes. 
The  militia  fell  back.  The  British  advanced  and  engaged 
the  second  line,  which  after  an  obstinate  conflict  wTas  compel- 
led to  retreat  to  the  cavalry.  In  this  crisis  lieutenant  colonel 
Washinghton  made  a  successful  charge  on  captain  Ogilvie, 
who  with  about  forty  dragoons,  was  cutting  down  the  militia, 
and  forced  them  to  retreat  in  confusion.  Lieutenant  colonel 
Howard,  almost  at  the  same  moment,  rallied  the  continental 
troops  and  charged  with  fixed  bayonets.  The  example  was 
instantly  followed  by  the  militia.  Nothing  could  exceed  the 
astonishment  and  confusion  of  the  British,  occasioned  by  these 
unexpected  charges.  Their  advance  fell  hack  on  their  rear, 
and  communicated  a  panic  to  the  whole.  Two  hundred  and 
fifty  horse  which  had  not  been  engaged,  fled  with  precipitation. 
The  pieces  of  artillery  were  seized  by  the  Americans,  and  the 
greatest  confusion  took  place  among  the  infantry.  While 
they  were  in  this  state  of  disorder,  lieutenant  colonel  Howard 
called  to  them,  to  "  lay  down  their  arms,"  and  promised  them 
good  quarter.  Some  hundreds  accepted  the  offer  and  sur- 
rendered. The  first  battalion  of  the  71st,  and  two  British 
light  infantry  companies,  laid  down  their  arms  to  the  Amer- 
ican militia,  A  party  which  had  been  left  some  distance  in 
the  rear  to  guard  the  baggage,  was  the  only  body  of  infantry 
that  escaped.  The  officer  of  that  detachment  on  hearing  of 
Tarlcton's  defeat,  destroyed  a  great  part  of  his  baggage,  and 
retreated  to  lord  Cornwallis.  Upwards  of  three  hundred  of 
the  British  were  killed  or  wounded,  and  above  five  hundred 
prisoners  were  taken.  Eight  hundred  muskets,  two  field  pie- 
ces, thirty-five  baggage  waggons,  and  one  hundred  dragoon 
horses,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  conquerors.  The  Americans 
had  only  twelve  men  killed  and  sixty  wounded. 

"General  Morgan's  good  conduct  on  this  memorable  ('ay, 
was  honoured  by  congress  with  a  gold  medal.  They  also 
presented  medals  of  silver  to  lieutenant  colonels  Washington 
and  Howard,  a  swond  to  colonel  Pickens,  a  brevet  majority 
to  Edward  Giles,  the  general's  aid-de-camp,  and  a  captaincy 
to  Baron  Glassbeck.  Lieutenant  colonel  Tarleton  hitherto  tri- 
umphant in  a  variety  of  skirmishes,  on  this  occasion  lost  his 
laurels,  though  he  was  supported  by  the  7th  regiment,  one 
battalion  of  the  71st,  and  two  companies  of  light  infantry; 
and  his  repulse  did  more  essential  injury  to  the  British  interest, 
than  was  equivalent  to  all  the  preceding  advantages  he  had 
gained,    It  was  the  first  link  in  a  chain  of  causes  which  final- 


MORGAN.  357 

\y  drew  down  ruin,  both  in  North  and  South  -Carolina,  on  the 
royal  interest." 

The  victory  of  the  Cowpens  was  to  the  south,  what  that 
of  Bennington  had  been  to  the  north.  General  Morgan, 
whose  former  services  had  placed  him  high  in  public  estima- 
tion, was  now  deservedly  ranked  among  the  most  illustrious 
defenders  of  his  country.  Starke  fought  an  inferior,  Morgan 
a  superior  foe.  The  former  contended  with  a  German  corps: 
the  latter  with  the  elite  of  the  southern  army,  composed  of 
British  troops.  Starke  was  nobly  seconded  by  colonel  War- 
ner and  his  continentals;  Morgan  derived  very  great  aid  from 
Pickens  and  his  militia,  and  was  effectually  supported  by 
Howard  and  Washington.  The  weight  of  the  battle  fell  on 
Howard;  who  sustained  himself  gloriously  in  trying  circum- 
stances, and  seized  with  decision  the  critical  moment  to  com- 
plete with  the  bayonet  the  advantage  gained  by  his  fire. 

Greene  was  now  appointed  to  the  command  of  the  south. 
After  the  battle  of  the  Cowpens,  a  controversy  ensued  be- 
tween that  general  and  Morgan,  as  to  the  route  which  the  lat- 
ter should  observe  in  his  retreat.  He  insisted  on  passing  the 
mountains;  a  salutary  precaution,  if  applied  to  himself,  but 
which  was  at  the  same  time  fatal  to  the  operations  of  Greene, 
lie  informed  the  general  that  if  that  route  was  denied  him, 
he  would  not  be  responsible  for  the  consequences.  '*  Neither 
shall  you,"  replied  the  restorer  of  the  south;  "  I  will  assume 
them  all  on  myself."  Morgan  continued  in  his  command  un- 
til the  two  divisions  of  the  army  united  at  Guilford  court- 
house, when,  neither  persuasion,  entreaty,  nor  excitement, 
could  induce  him  to  remain  in  the  service  any  longer.  He 
retired  and  devoted  himself  exclusively  to  the  improvement  of 
his  farm  and  of  his  fortune. 

He  remained  here,  in  the  bosom  of  retirement,  at  Frederic, 
until  he  was  summoned  by  president  Washington  to  repress, 
by  the  force  of  the  bayonet,  the  insurrection  in  the  western 
counties  of  Pennsylvania.  The  executive  of  Virginia  then 
detached  Morgan  to  take  the  field,  at  the  head  of  the  militia 
of  that  state. 

Upon  the  retreat  of  the  main  body,  Morgan  remained  in 
the  bosom  of  the  insurgents,  until  the  ensuing  spring,  when 
he  received  orders  from  the  president  to  withdraw.  For  the 
first  time  in  his  life,  he  now  appears  to  have  entertained  ideas 
of  political  distinction.  Baffled  in  his  first  attempt,  he  suc- 
ceeded in  his  second,  and  was  elected  a  member  of  the  house 
of  representatives  of  the  United  States,  for  the  district  of 
Frederic.  Having  served  out  the  constitutional  term,  he  de- 
clined another  election.  His  health  being  much  impaired, 
and  his  constitution  gradually  sinking,  he  removed  from  Sa- 


358  MORRIS. 

ratoga  to  the  scene  of  his  juvenile  years,  Berrysville,  (Bat-- 
tletown)  and  from  thence  to  Winchester,  where  he  closed  his 
long,  laborious  and  useful  life. 

Brigadier  Morgan  was  stout  and  active,  six  feet  in  height, 
strong,  not  too  much  encumbered  with  flesh,  and  was  exact- 
ly fitted  for  the  toils  and  pomp  of  war.  His  mind  was  dis- 
criminating and  solid,  but  not  comprehensive  and  combining. 
His  manners  plain  and  decorous,  neither  insinuating  nor  re- 
pulsive. His  conversation  grave,  sententious  and  considerate, 
unadorned  and  uncaptivating.  He  reflected  deeply,  spoke  lit- 
tle, and  executed  with  keen  perseverance  whatever  he  under- 
took. He  was  indulgent  in  his  military  command,  preferring 
always  the  affection  of  his  troops,  to  that  dread  and  awe 
which  surround  the  rigid  disciplinarian. 

No  man  ever  lived  who  better  loved  this  world,  and  no 
man  more  reluctantly  quitted  it :  yet  no  man  valued  less  his 
life  than  Morgan,  when  duty  called  him  to  meet  his  foe. 
Stopped  neither  by  danger  nor  by  difficulty,  he  rushed  into 
the  hottest  of  the  battle,  enamored  with  the  glory  which  en- 
circles victory. 

General  Morgan,  like  thousands  of  mortals,  when  nearly 
worn  out  by  the  hand  of  time,  resorted  for  mental  comfort  to 
the  solace  of  religion.  He  manifested  great  penitence  for  the 
follies  of  his  early  life ;  this  was  followed  by  joining  the 
presbyterian  church  in  full  communion,  with  which  he  con- 
tinued to  his  last  day. 

MORRIS,  Robert,  superintendant  of  the  finances  of  the 
United  States,  during  the  revolutionary  war,  was  born  at  Li- 
verpool, England,  on  the  20th  day  of  January,  1734.  He 
came  to  this  country  at  the  age  of  thirteen,  with  his  father, 
who  was  a  respectable  merchant.  Immediately  on  his  arri- 
val, lie  was  placed  under  the  tuition  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Gordon, 
of  Maryland,  who  was  well  qualified  to  finish  the  mould  of 
the  youthful  mind.  His  father  died  two  years  after  his  arri- 
val in  this  country-  and  Robert  was  placed  in  the  counting- 
house  of  Charles  Willing,  Esq.  at  that  time  a  distinguished 
merchant  in  Philadelphia.  After  he  had  served  the  usual 
term  of  years,  he  was  established  in  his  business  by  hte 
patron. 

About  the  year  1769,  he  renounced  the  unnatural  solitude 
of  batchelorship,  and  intermarried  with  Mary,  the  daughter  of 
colonel  White,  and  sister  of  the  present  amiable  and  learned 
bishop  of  that  name.  She  was  elegant,  accomplished  and  rich, 
and,  in  every  respect,  qualified  to  carry  the  fecility  of  connu- 
bial life  to  its  highest  perfection. 

The  objects  and  employments  of  Mr.  Morris's  life,  for  some 
years  after  this  change  in  his  domestic  character,  were  entire- 


MORRIS.  359 

ly  of  a  commercial  nature.  On  the  appearance  of  a  rupture 
with  the  British  government,  however,  he  was  sent  to  con- 
gress, as  a  member  for  Pennsylvania,  at  the  close  of  the  year 
1775;  and,  during  that  session,  was  employed  in  some  finan- 
cial arrangements  of  the  greatest  importance  to  the  opera- 
tions of  the  army  and  navy. 

During  the  march  of  the  British  troops  through  the  Jer- 
seys, in  1776,  the  removal  of  congress  to  Baltimore  is  well* 
known.  For  reasons  of  a  commercial  nature.  Mr.  Morris 
was  left  at  Philadelphia,  to  remain  as  long  as  circumstances 
would  permit.  At  this  crisis,  a  letter  from  the  commander  in 
chief  was  received  by  the  government,  announcing,  that  while 
the  enemy  were  accurately  informed  of  all  his  movements,  he 
was  compelled,  from  the  want  of  hard  money,  to  remain  in 
complete  ignorance  of  their  arrangements,  and  requiring  a 
certain  sum  as  absolutely  necessary  to  the  safety  of  the  army. 
Information  of  this  demand  was  sent  to  Mr.  Morris,  in  the 
hope  that,  through  his  credit,  the  money  might  be  obtained  ; 
the  communication  reached  him  at  his  office,  in  the  way  from 
which  to  his  dwelling-house,  immediately  afterwards,  he  was 
met  by  a  gentleman  of  the  society  of  Friends,  with  whom  he 
was  in  habits  of  business  and  acquaintance,  and  who  accost- 
ed him  with  his  customary  phrase,  "  Well,  Robert,  what 
news?"  "The  news  is,"  said  Mr.  Morris,  "that  I  am  in 
immediate  want  of  a  sum  of  hard  money,"  mentioning  the 
amount,  "  and  that  you  are  the  man  who  must  procure  it  for 
me.  Your  security  is  to  be  my  note  of  hand  and  my  honour." 
After  a  short  hesitation,  the  gentleman  replied,  "  Robert, 
ihou  shalt  have  it;"  and,  by  the  punctual  performance  of  his 
promise,  enabled  congress  to  comply  with  the  requisition  of 
the  general. 

The  situation  of  general  Greene,  in  South  Carolina,  was 
equally  critical ;  his  distresses  rendering  it  scarcely  prac- 
ticable to  keep  his  troops  together,  when  a  gentleman,  Mr. 
Hall  of  that  state,  by  stepping  forward,  and  advancing  the 
necessary  sums,  enabled  him  to  stem  the  danger.  On  the  re- 
turn of  general  Greene  to  Philadelphia,  after  the  war  had 
terminated,  he  repaired  to  the  office  of  finance  to  settle  his 
accounts,  when  the  secret  was  divulged,  that  Mr.  Hall  had 
acted  under  the  direction  of  Mr.  Morris.  The  general  was 
hurt  at  such  an  apparent  want  of  confidence  in  him;  but  on 
re-considering  the  subject,  he  admitted  the  wisdom  of  the  cau- 
tion which  had  been  used;  il  I  give  you  my  opinion,"  said  he, 
"  that  you  never  did  a  wiser  thing:  for,  on  other  occasions,  I 
was  sufficiently  distressed  to  have  warranted  my  drawing  on 
you,  had  I  known  that  I  might  have  done  so,  and  I  should 
have  availed  myself  of  the  privilege."     Mr.  Morris  rejoin- 


360  MORRIS. 

ed,  that,  even  as  matters  had  been  conducted,  the  southern 
expedition  had  gone  nearer  than  the  operations  in  any  other 
quarter,  to  the  causing  of  an  arrest  of  his  commercial  busi- 
ness. 

By  a  resolution  of  congress,  the  office  of  financier  was  esta- 
blished in  1781,  and  Mr.  Morris  was  unanimously  elected 
as  the  superintendant.  Previous  to  this  election,  he  had  form- 
ed a  mercantile  connection  with  I.  and  R.  Hazlehurst,  and 
his  fear  lest  the  duties  of  an  official  situation  of  such  impor- 
tance should  interfere  with  his  engagements  in  business,  pre- 
vented his  acceptance  of  office,  until  congress  had  specifically 
resolved,  that  his  fulfilment  of  his  commercial  obligations  was 
not  incompatible  with  the  performance  of  the  public  services 
required  of  him. 

To  trace  him  through  all  the  acts  of  his  financial  adminis- 
tration, would  be  to  make  this  biography  a  history  of  the  last 
two  years  of  the  revolutionary  war.  When  the  exhausted  credit 
of  the  government  threatened  the  most  alarming  consequen- 
ces; when  the  soldiers  were  utterly  destitute  of  the  necessary 
supplies  of  food  and  clothing;  when  the  military  chest  had 
been  drained  of  its  last  dollar;  and  even  the  intrepid  confi- 
dence of  Washington  was  shaken;  upon  his  own  credit,  and 
from  his  own  private  resources,  did  Mr.  Morris  furnish 
those  pecuniary  means,  but  for  which  the  physical  energies 
of  the  country,  exerted  to  their  utmost,  would  have  been 
scarcely  competent  to  secure  that  prompt  and  glorious  issue 
whic  ii  ensued. 

One  of  the  first  acts  of  his  financial  government  was  the 
proposition  to  congress  of  his  plan  for  the  establishment  of 
the  bank  of  North  America,  which  was  chartered  forthwith, 
and  opened  on  the  7th  of  January,  1782.  At  this  time,  "the 
states  were  half  a  million  of  dollars  in  debt  on  that  year's 
taxes,  which  had  been  raised  by  anticipation,  on  that  system 
of  credit  which  Mr.  Morris  had  created:"  and,  but  for  this 
establishment,  his  plans  of  finance  must  have  been  entirely 
frustrated.  On  his  retirement  from  office,  it  was  affirmed,  by 
two  of  the  Massachusetts  delegates,  ''that  it  cost  congress  at 
the  rate  of  eighteen  millions  per  annum,  hard  dollars,  to  carry 
on  the  war,  till  he  was  chosen  financier,  and  then  it  cost  them 
but  above  five  millions!" 

Uy  the  representations  of  a  committee  of  congress,  Mr. 
Morris  was  induced  to  abandon  his  intention  of  quitting  of- 
fice, in  1783,  and  he  accordingly  continued  to  superintend  the 
department  of  finance,  to  the  30th  September,  1784,  when,  in 
a  letter  to  the  commissioners  of  the  treasury  board,  he  resign- 
ed his  office,  and  immediately  issued  an  advertisement,  pledg- 
ing himself  to  the  payment  of  all  his  outstanding  debts,  as 
they  should  arrive  at  maturity. 


MOULTRIE.  S61 

Fatigued  with  political  cares,  which,  from  the  time  of  his 
election  to  a  seat  in  the  senate  of  the  first  congress,  under  the 
federal  constitution,  had  so  completely  engrossed  his  mind,  he 
was  now  anxious  to  retire  to  the  relaxation  of  private  life. 
That  he  was  not  avaricious  after  inlluence,  may  he  sufficient- 
ly established  from  the  fact  of  his  refusal  to  accept  the  situa- 
tion of  secretary  of  the  treasury,  which  general  Washington 
wished  him  to  fill. 

That  his  long  continuance  in  the  public  service,  and  his 
unremitted  attention  to  the  business  of  his  country,  had  caus- 
ed some  confusion  in  his  private  affairs,  he  assigned  as  a  rea- 
son for  declining  to  comply  with  the  solicitations  of  the  city 
of  Philadelphia,  which  had  sent  a  delegation  to  request  he 
would  become  its  representative  in  congress.  It  is  true,  in- 
deed, thatjie  was  subsequently  induced  to  resume  his  situation 
as  a  delegate  from  Pennsylvania,  and  that  he  continued  to  fill 
this  distinguished  character,  for  several  years  after  his  re- 
tirement from  the  financial  department;  but  it  is  equally  true, 
that  this  compliance  with  the  public  wish  was  rather  the  effect 
of  a  powerful  sense  of  political  duty,  than  of  inclination.  His 
long  inattention  to  his  private  affairs  was  productive  of  great 
embarrassments  of  mind  and  circumstances,  the  results  of 
which  cast  a  shade  over  those  declining  years  which  unem- 
barrassed repose  and  honorable  affluence  ought  to  have  sooth= 
ed  and  cherished. 

After  a  life  of  inestimable  utility,  Mr.  Morris  died  in  Phi- 
ladelphia, on  the  8th  of  May,  1806,  in  the  73d  year  of  his  age. 
That  his  arrangements  for  the  raising  of  pecuniary  supplies, 
and  the  support  of  the  credit  of  his  country,  in  her  greatest 
need,  essentially  conduced  to  the  glorious  termination  of  the 
contest  for  liberty,  is  established  in  the  evidence  of  the  illus- 
trious Washington  himself:  and  it  may  as  truly  be  said  of 
him,  as  it  was  of  the  Roman  Curtius,  that  he  sacrificed  him- 
self for  the  safety  of  the  commonwealth. 

MOULTRIE,  William,  a  major-general  in  the  revolution- 
ary war,  was  devoted  to  the  service  of  his  country  at  an  early 
period  of  his  life.  An  Englishman  by  birth,  he  had,  like  many 
others  of  his  countrymen,  fled  from  the  tyranny  and  oppres- 
sion of  the  old  world,  and  sought  freedom  and  security  in  the 
new.  At  the  commencement  of  the  opposition  to  the  mea- 
sures of  the  British  ministry,  he  stood  high  in  the  estimation 
of  his  fellow  citizens  of  Carolina;  and  his  name  is  found,  in 
every  convention  which  assembled  at  Charleston,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  devising  ways  and  means  of  resisting  those  encroach- 
ments on  the  rights  of  the  citizen  which  were  first  attempted 
at  Boston,  and  which,  with  the  noiseless  tread  of  the  savage, 
assailed  the  person  and  habitation  of  every  American  with 

4G 


s'62  MOULTRIE. 

the  toils  of  slavery,  and  the  dagger  of  violation.  It  was  from 
the  spirited  exertions  of  the  Rutledges,  Pinckneys.  Middletoa 
and  Moultrie,  that  Carolina  was  found  among  the  first  of  her 
sister  states  in  exposing  herself  to  the  terrors  of  the  raging 
and  warring  elements  of  that  time.  On  the  11th  of  January, 
1775,  the  first  provincial  congress,  as  it  was  then  railed,  of 
South-Carolina,  assembled  at  Charleston.  It  \v?s  a  bright  and 
splendid  assemblage  of  talents,  patriotism  and  heroism,  and 
Moultrie  was  a  distinguished  member  of  it.  Tl.e  unanimity 
which  marked  their  proceedings,  and  the  fixed  and  resolute 
assertion  of  their  rights  and  privileges,  and  the  manly  and 
heroic  devotion  which  they  manifested  in  subscribing  to  the 
association  recommended  by  the  congress  at  Philadelphia, 
sufficiently  testify  that  they  were  worthy  to  be  the  fathers  of 
Carolinian  liberty. 

Every  thing  wore  the  appearance  of  war  but  hostilities 
had  not  yet  even  entered  into  the  minds  of  our  forefathers.  In 
supplication  and  the  assertion  of  their  rights,  supported  hy 
arguments,  completely  unanswerable,  it  was  hoped  and  believ- 
ed, that  British  violence  would  be  convinced,  and  yield  that 
prerogative  right  of  oppression  which  she  had  claimed.  But 
the  battle  of  Lexington  was  the  tocsin  of  alarm;  and  the  groans 
of  the  dying  freeman  demanded  vengeance  for  himself  and  se- 
curity for  his  offspring,  from  his  country:  in  consequence  of 
which,  the  provincial  congress  of  South  Carolina  again  as- 
sembled at  Charleston,  on  the  first  of  June,  1775,  and  imme- 
diately determined  on  raising  two  regiments  of  foot  and  one 
of  rangers,  for  the  defence  of  the  province;  and  of  the  second 
regiment  Moultrie  was  nominated  the  colonel.  Measures 
were  taken  to  provide  powder,  and  the  other  necessary  imple- 
ments of  war.  Difficult  was  the  undertaking,  but  glorious 
the  result.  Embalmed  in  the  affections  of  their  countrymen 
are  the  memories  of  the  gallant  and  noble  few,  who  first  trod 
the  ramparts  of  liberty.  They  have  departed  from  among  us, 
and  it  is  now  indeed  but  seldom  that  our  eyes  are  blessed  with 
the  sight,  and  our  hearts  improved  by  the  recog  ition  of  the 
grey  hairs  of  the  revolution. 

The  regiments  which  were  ordered  to  be  raised  were  soon 
completed,  and  every  measure  which  prudence  could  dictate  to 
prevent  disaffection  from  attempting  any  thing  within,  and  to 
repel  invasion  from  without,  was  accomplished.  In  the  exe- 
cution of  these  measures  of  prudence,  colonel  Moultrie  was 
always  found  the  prompt  and  efficient  officer.  About  the  last 
of  this  year,  1775,  that  spirit  of  disaffection  which  had  hith- 
erto lain  dormant,  began  to  manifest  itself  in  the  upper  part 
of  the  country.  In  the  district  of  Ninety-Six,  the  insurgents 
collected  in  large  bodies,  and,  after  a  warm  and  obstinate  ac- 


MOULTRIE.  S63 

lion,  besieged  colonel  Williamson  in  his  fortified  camp.  To 
quell  this  insurrection,  and  repel  any  invasion  which  might  be 
attempted,  was  indeed  a  difficult  task,  and  one  from  which 
most  men  would  shrink  in  despair.  But  our  forefathers  dared 
attempt  it,  and  succeeded.  The  tories  were  compelled  to 
abandon  the  siege  of  Williamson's  camp,  and  to  remain  for 
a  time  quiet  spectators  of  the  passing  events.  For  the  better 
.securing  the  harbours  of  Charleston,  Moultrie  erected  a  fas- 
cine battery  on  Sullivan's  Island,  which  afterwards  bore  his 
name.  The  English  now  began  seriously  to  think  of  invad- 
ing South  Carolina,  and  fitted  out  accordingly  a  large  naval 
armament  from  New- York,  the  command  of  which  was  given 
to  commodore  Parker.  It  was  now  that  war  seemed  about 
to  pounce  upon  South  Carolina  as  his  prey.  The  husbandman 
was  seen  deserting  his  farm,  and  hastening  to  Charleston  to 
protect  his  country.  "The  noisy  drum  and  ear  piercing  fife," 
were  heard  on  every  breeze;  and  the  lengthening  columns, 
which  proceeded  to  her  aid  from  her  sister  states,  gave  "  aw 
ful  note  of  preparation  and  suspense."  Lee  and  Armstrong, 
two  gallant  leaders  of  the  American  forces,  marshaled  the  ar- 
mies, and  gave  directions  to  the  patriotic  ardour  of  the  Caro- 
linians. But  where  is  Moultrie?  In  the  battery,  on  Sulli- 
van's Island,  he  may  be  seen  toiling,  and  directing  the  ener- 
gies of  his  regiment  to  the  completion  of  their  works.  Hasti- 
ly erected,  and  apparently  incapable  of  resistance,  the  gallant 
commander  was  advised  to  abandon  it,  and  told  that  the  Bri- 
tish ships  would  knock  it  down  in  half  an  hour;  but  his  truly 
Spartan  reply,  "  We  will  lay  behind  the  ruins,  and  prevent 
their  men  from  landing,"  showed  the  spirit  of  Leonidas,  and 
that  he  was  worthy  to  command  tl»e  Thermopylae  of  his 
country. 

On  the  28th  of  June,  1776,  the  British  fleet  commenced  an 
attack  on  fort  Moultrie.  The  great  and  unequal  conflict  was 
met  by  the  gallant  Moultrie,  with  a  firm  and  unyielding  front. 
The  raw  and  undisciplined  troops  of  Carolina  sustained  from 
eight  ships  of  the  British  navy  an  incessant  cannonade  for 
ten  hours.  But  during  that  time  none  were  seen  to  waver. 
Animated  by  the  presence  of  their  gallant  commander,  all 
were  heroes;  and  their  guns,  pointed  with  deliberation,  pour- 
ed a  slow  but  certain  havoc  over  the  decks  of  the  enemy's 
vessels.  One  spirit,  victory  or  death,  pervaded  every  rank ; 
even  the  wounded  and  the  dying  cheered  and  encouraged  their 
comrades  to  perseverance.  It  was,  indeed,  a  scene  to  fill 
every  bosom.  The  wharves  of  Charleston  were  lined  with 
crowds  of  anxious  citizens,  listening,  in  death-like  silence,  to 
every  gun,  and  watching,  in  an  agony  of  hope  and  fear  to 
<svery  raotiou  of  Moultrie's  flag.  There,  too,  were  assembled 


364  MOULTRIE. 

the  wives  and  children  of  the  defenders  of  the  fort.  Every- 
thing depended  on  the  issue  of  the  contest.  Domestic  happi- 
ness and  liberty  held  their  mantles  high  over  their  heads,  and 
under  such  a  covering,  victory  and  triumph  were  certain. 

For  the  gallant  defence  at  fort  Moultrie,  the  commander 
and  his  little  band  were  entitled  to,  and  received  the  eviden- 
ces of  the  warmest  gratitude  of  their  country.  To  the  female 
patriotism  of  Mrs.  Elliott,  they  were  indebted,  for  the  present 
of  a  pair  of  colours,  made  sacred  by  the  language  of  the  fair 
donor;  that  she  "  had  no  doubt  but  that  they  would  stand  by 
them,  as  long  as  they  could  wave  in  the  air  of  liberty."  The 
belief  was  not  vain;  those  colours  were  wet  with  the  expiring 
blood  of  Bush,  Hume,  Gray,  and  the  gallant  Jasper;  and, 
until  Charleston  fell,  they  waved  in  the  van  of  the  Carolina 
army. 

After  the  signal  repulse  of  the  enemy  from  Sullivan's 
island,  the  country  was  left  in  a  state  of  tranquility;  and  the 
declaration  of  independence  was  received  at  a  time  when  ex- 
ultation had  not  yet  subsided  for  the  recent  victory,  and  when 
every  heart  was  throbbing  with  the  most  delightful  anticipa- 
tions for  the  future.  South  Carolina  sung  the  song  of  triumph 
and  victory;  and  scarcely  had  the  loud  and  swelling  notes  ex- 
pired upon  the  ear,  when  she  chaunted  the  hymn  of  liberty  and 
independence. 

Shortly  after  this  time,  Moultrie  rose  to  the  rank  of  briga- 
dier general,  and  was  put  upon  the  continental  establishment. 
The  state  continued  to  enjoy  a  repose  from  the  attacks  of  the 
externa]  enemies,  until  the  year  1779. 

In  the  mean  time,  the  state  was  rent  asunder  by  the  in- 
trigues of  the  disaffected;  and  the  infatuated  tories  pulled  down 
the  angry  vengeance  and  just  chastisement  of  their  country, 
upon  their  heads.  The  invasion  of  Georgia,  by  the  British, 
and  the  defeat  of  general  Howe  at  Savannah,  was  the  com- 
mencement of  that  deluge  of  calamities  which  afterwards  over- 
whelmed South  Carolina.  The  experience  of  general  Lin- 
coln, when  opposed  by  the  rash  and  head-strong  conduct  of 
the  militia,  could  only  retard  for  a  time,  not  entirely  dissi- 
pate, the  approaching  storm.  In  the  defence  of  Beaufort, 
general  Moultrie  displayed  his  usual  sagacity  and  prudence ; 
he  repulsed  the  enemy  at  all  points,  and  kept  them  in  check 
with  a  handful  of  militia,  until  it  was  judged  proper  for  him 
to  abandon  Beaufort  to  its  fate,  and  unite  himself  with  the 
main  army.  Encamped  at  Parisburg,  Lincoln  and  Moultrie, 
with  an  army  greatly  inferior  in  numbers,  composing  mostly 
of  militia  and  raw  recruits,  opposed  a  steady  and  never-vary- 
ing front  to  the  veteran  ranks  of  England.  It  was  even  deter- 
mined, with  the  assistance  of  general  Ash,  to  push  the  war 


MOULTRIE.  S65 

into  Georgia,  and  by  one  bold  movement  drive  general  Pro- 
vost to  the  necessity  of  surrendering.  But  the  defeat  of  ge- 
neral Ash's  army  at  Blair  creek,  completely  frustrated  the 
plans  of  the  American  officers,  and  drove  them  to  the  necessity 
of  abandoning  offensive  for  defensive  war. 

The  enemy  now  endeavoured  to  approach  to  Charleston  by 
land,  from  Georgia.  To  their  advance,  the  veteran  genius  of 
Moultrie  was  opposed.  Like  a  wounded  lion,  compelled  to 
tread  back  his  steps,  his  retreat  was  daring  ;  and  facing  about, 
lie  occasionally  snatched  his  prey  from  his  pursuers,  and  made 
their  recoiling  ranks  tremble  for  their  safety.  Lincoln,  who 
had  previously  marched  with  the  flower  of  the  army  for  Augus- 
ta, is  seen  stretching  forward  with  a  rapid  march  to  gain  the 
rear  of  the  advancing  enemy,  or  to  unite  himself  with  Moul- 
trie. It  was  a  time  of  difficulty  ;  every  nerve  was  strained 
for  the  contest;  the  militia  could  scarcely  be  induced  to  turn  out, 
and  when  in  service,  they  deserted  the  ranks  to  return  to  their 
homes,  at  pleasure.  Danger  was  presenting  itself  at  every 
door,  and  individual  interest  was  more  regarded  than  that  of 
the  country.  But  the  exertions  of  Moultrie  and  governor 
Jlutledge,  gathered  from  all  parts,  the  citizen  yeomanry  ;  and 
general  Provost,  instead  of  finding  Charleston  an  easy  prey, 
found  it  guarded  and  protected,  and  the  hero  of  Sullivan's 
island  presiding  over  all  as  the  genius  of  safety.  A  siege  was 
not  attempted,  and  the  enemy  precipitately  withdrew  from  be- 
fore the  town.  Lincoln  now  began  to  draw  near,  and  the 
hitherto  pursuing  enemy  became  in  their  turn  the  pursued. 
•About  this  time  Moultrie  received  the  commission  of  a  ma- 
jor general  in  the  army  of  the  United  States.  The  battle  of 
Stonp  followed  immediately  after,  which  although  uncertain  in 
the  result,  was  sufficiently  evincive  of  the  bravery  of  the  Ame- 
rican troops,  and  of  the  prudence  and  gallantry  of  Moultrie. 
The  enemy,  although  left  in  possession  of  the  field,  did  not 
think  proper  to  retain  the  post,  but  soon  after  abandoned  it, 
and  retired  to  Savannah.  The  pursuit  was  conducted  to 
Sheldon  by  Moultrie.  He  there  gave  up  the  command  to  ge- 
neral Lincoln,  and  returned  to  Charleston.  Fortunately  for 
him  his  laurels  were  not  blighted  by  the  frost  of  repulse  which 
general  Lincoln  sustained  in  the  siege  of  Savannah. 

In  the  year  1780,  a  third  invasion  of  South  Carolina  was 
projected,  and  carried  into  execution  under  the  command  of 
sir  Henry  Clinton.  The  force  was  overwhelming  and  irresis- 
table.  In  vain  did  Lincoln  and  Moultrie  endeavour  to  check 
their  approach  ;  in  vain  did  they  endeavour  to  retard  the  works 
of  the  besiegers  ;  Charleston  sarrendered  to  a  numerous  and 
well  appointed  army,  and  her  barbour,  filled  with  the  fleet  of 
England,  after  a  gallant  resistance,  was  obliged  to  surrender. 


S66  MUHLENBERG. 

On  the  12th  of  May.  1780,  Carolina  witnessed  the*  mournful 
spectacle  of  an  army  of  freemen,  piling  their  arms,  and  Bur- 
rendering  themselves  prisoners  of  war.  Hero  ended  the  ca- 
reer of  major  general  Moultrie  as  a  military  man.  He  re- 
mained a  prisoner  until  nearly  tin*  (lose  of  the  American  war, 
when  lie  was  exchanged  at  Philadelphia,  and  returned  to 
South  Carolina,  where  lie  was  received  with  proud  and  en- 
thusiastic joy.  His  slaves,  although  having  every  opportunity, 
during  the  war.  to  abandon  his  Bervice,  not  one  of  them  dont. 
so.  On  hearing  of  Ids  return,  they  crouded  around  their  ve 
nerable  muster  to  kiss  hi*  hand,  and  to  show  their  attachment 
to  his  person  and  fortune,  by  the  tears  of  rapturous  joy  which 
they  sited,  at  5eing  once  more  permitted  to  behold  him.  He 
had  the  pleasure  of  witnessing  the  evacuation  of  Charleston, 
shortly  after  his  arrival  at  home,  and  of  seeing  peace  return 
"with  healing  in  her  wings,  and  majesty  in  her  beams,"  to  ir- 
radiate the  prospects  of  America. 

The  subsequent  life  of  Moultrie  was one-of  tranquility,  and 
presents  nothing  verj  striking  or  interesting,  lie  was  once 
governor  of  South  Carolina.  He  died  at  Charleston,  Sep- 
tember  '~7,  1805,  in  the  seventy  sixth  year  of  his  age. 

The  character  of  general  Moultrie,  as  an  officer,  a  man,  and 
a  citizen,  was  unexceptionable.  The  glory  of  his  services 
was  surpassed  by  his  disinterestedness  and  integrity. 

MUHLENBERG,  Peter,  a  brave  and  distinguished  oft 
cer  during  the  revolutionary  war,  was  anativeofPennsylva 
nia.  In  early  life  he  yielded  to  the  wishes  of  his  vene- 
rable father,  the  patriarch  of  the  German  Lutheran  church^h 
Pennsylvania,  by  becoming  a  minister  of  the  Episcopal 
church,  and  participating  in  the  spirit  of  the  times,  exchang- 
ed his  clerical  profession  for  that  of  a  soldier.  Having  in 
bis  pulpit  inculcated  the  principles  of  liberty,  and  the  cause 
of  bis  country,  he  found  no  difficulty  in  enlisting  a  regiment 
of  soldiers,  and  he  was  appointed  their  commander.  He  en- 
tered the  pulpit  with  his  sword  and  cockade,  preached  his 
farewell  sermon,  and  the  next  day  marched  at  the  head  of  his 
regiment  to  join  the  army. 

in  the  year  1776,  he  became  a  member  of  the  convention, 
and  afterwards  a  colonel  of  a  regiment  of  that  state.  In  the 
year  1777.  he  was  appointed  a  brigadier  general  in  the  revo- 
lutionary army,  in  which  capacity  he  acted  until  the  termina- 
tion of  the  war  which  gave  liberty  and  independence  to  his 
•  ir>,  at  which  time  he  was  promoted  to  the  rank  of  major 
general.  General  Muhlenberg  was  a  particular  favorite  of 
the  commander  in  chief,  and  he  was  one  of  those  brave  men. 
in  whose  coolness,  decision  of  character;  and  undaunted  reso- 
lution, he  could  ever  relv.    It  has  been  asserted  with  some 


KELSON.  567 

degree  of  confIdencef  that  it  was  general  Muhlenberg,  who 
lommanded  the  American  storming  party  at  Vnrkinwn,  the 
bonour  of  which  station  bas  been  attributed,  i»y  the  different 
histories  of  the  American  revolution,  to  another  person*  it 
is,  however*  a  well  known  fact,  that  he  acted  a  distinguished 
Hid  brave  pari  at  the  siege  of  Yorktown* 

After  the  peace,  general  Muhlenberg  whs  chosen  by  bis  fel- 
low citizens  of  Pennsylvania}  to  Jilt  In  succession  the  various 
stations  <»r  rice  president  of  the  Biipreme  executive  council  of 
Pennsylvania)  member  of  the  house  of  representatives,  and 
senator  of  the  United  Stales;  and  afterwards  appointed  l»y 
the  president  of  the  United  states,  supervisor  of  the  exi  ise  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  Anally,  collector  of  the  port  of  Philadel- 
phia, which  office  lie  held  at  the  lime  of  his  death.  In  all  the 
above  military  and  political  stations,  general  Muhlenberg  acted 

faithfully  tO  his  country  and  honourably  to  himself.  Me  was 
bravo  in  the  field,  and  linn  in  the  cabinet.  In  private  life  \\r, 
was  strictly  just  ;   in  his  domestic  and  social  attachments,  he 

was  affectionate  and  sincere;  and  in  his  intercourse  with  his 
fellow  citizens,  always  amiable  and  unassuming. 

Be  died  on  the  Lst  day  of  October,  1807,  in  the  sixty-second 
year  of  his  age,  at,  his  seat  near  Schuylkill,  Montgomery 
oanty,  Pennsylvania. 

NELSON,  Thomas,  governor  of  Virginia,  was  a  distin 

guished  patriot  in  Die  revolution,  and  uniformly  ardent  in  his 

ittachment  to  liberty.  He  was  among  the  first  of  that  glo- 
rious band  of  patriots,  whose,  exertions  dashed  and  defeated 
tiff,  machinations  of  liritish  tyranny  ;   and   gave  to  America, 

freedom  and  independent  empire.  At  a  most  important  crisis, 
during  our  struggle  for  American  liberty,  when  Virginia  ap 

peared  to  he,  designated  as  tin-  theatre  of  action  for  the  con- 
tending armies,  he  was  selected  hy  the  unanimous  suffrage  of 

the  legislature  to  command  the  virtuous  yeomanry  of  his  coun- 
try ;  in  which  honourable  employment  he  remained  to  the  end 
of  the  war.  Asa  soldier,  he  was  indefatigabl  y  active  and 
cooly  intrepid.     Resolute  and  undetected  in  misfortunes,  he 

lowered  above  distress  ;  and  struggled  with  the  manifold  dif- 
ficulties, to   which  his  situation  exposed  him,  with  (oust amy 

ami  courage* 

In  the  year  1781,  when  the  force  of  the  southern  British 
irmy  was  directed  to  the  immediate  subjugation  of  that  state, 
he  was  called  to  the  helm  of  government,  and  took  (lie,  held, 
at  the  head  of  his  countrymen*  The  commander  in  chief,  and 
the  0&cer8  at  the  B.eg6  at   Yorktown,  witnessed  his  merit  and 

attachment  to  civil  and  religious  liberty.  H<'  was  an  intre- 
pid soldier  and  an  able  statesman.  lie  died  in  February, 
1789, 


368  OGDEN— OLNEY. 

OGDEN,  Matthias,  a  brigadier  general  in  the  army  of 
the  United  States,  took  an  early  and  a  decided  part  in  the  re- 
volutionary war  with  Great  Britain.  He  joined  the  army  at 
Cambridge,  and  such  was  his  zeal  and  resolution,  that  he  ac- 
companied Arnold  in  penetrating  through  the  wilderness  to 
Canada.  He  was  engaged  in  the  attack  upon  Quebec,  and 
was  carried  wounded  from  the  place  of  engagement.  On  his 
return  from  this  expedition  he  was  appointed  to  the  command 
of  a  regiment,  in  which  station  he  continued  until  the  conclu- 
sion of  the  war.  When  peace  took  place  he  was  honoured 
with  a  commission  of  brigadier  general.  He  died  at  Eliza- 
beth town,  New  Jersey,  March  31,  1T91.  He  was  distin- 
guished for  his  liberality  and  philanthrophy. 

OLNEY,  Jeremiah,  commenced  his  military  career  at 
the  earliest  period  of  the  defensive  revolutionary  war,  and  be- 
came the  companion  in  arms  of  the  immortal  Washington, 
under  whose  auspicious  command  (frequently  as  the  chief  offi- 
cer of  the  Rhode  Island  forces)  he  nobly  persevered,  through 
all  the  trying,  changing  scenes  of  the  revolution,  till  a  glo- 
rious independence  emancipated  his  beloved  country,  and  in 
"peace,  liberty,  and  safety,"  ranked  her  among  the  nations 
of  the  earth.  His  heroism  at  Red  Bank,  Springfield,  Mon- 
mouth, Yorktown,  and  other  places  where  "men's  souls"  were 
tried,  will  be  honourably  registered  by  the  pen  of  the  faithful 
historian  in  the  annals  of  his  country,  and  will  embalm  his 
memory  to  all  posterity. 

The  life  of  this  amiable  and  highly  revered  gentleman,  was 
distinguished  by  the  most  undeviatiug  honour  and  integrity, 
from  which  no  interest  could  swerve  him,  no  danger  appal 
him.  To  his  innate  love  and  ardent  practice  of  truth  and  jus- 
tice, were  united  a  disposition  the  most  social  and  endearing, 
a  philantrophy  the  most  exalted,  and  a  hospitality  the  most 
unostentatious  and  interesting  to  the  finer  feelings  of  the  heart. 
To  every  branch  of  his  numerous  and  respectable  family,  to 
all  his  associates  and  neighbours,  he  was  ever  attentive  and 
affectionate,  and  to  those  whom  he  knew  were  oppressed  with 
sickness,  sorrow  and  misfortune,  he  was  a  liberal,  active  com- 
forter; a  friend  indeed!  Even  his  servants  he  humanely  con- 
sidered his  "humble  friends,"  and  treated  them  accordingly. 
Indeed,  all  who  were  connected  or  associated  with  him,  by  af- 
finity, friendship,  or  patronage,  will  long  remember  him  with 
the  most  lively  gratitude  and  regard,  mingled  with  sentiments 
of  the  ten derest  regret.  His  many  virtues  were  numerous  and 
exemplary,  as  he  wisely  regulated  his  conduct  by  his  revered 
monitor,  conscience;  the  incorruptible  vicegerent  of  the  most 
high  God.  As  a  citizen,  he  was  public  spirited;  as  a  patriot 
soldier,  ardent,  judicious  and  intrepid. 


OTIS.  363 

He  was  for  many  years  collector  of  the  customs  of  the  port 
and  district  of  Providence,  Rhode  Island,  and  president  of 
the  society  of  Cincinnati  of  that  state.  He  died  the  tenth  of 
November,  1812,  in  the  sixty  third  year  of  his  age. 

OTIS,  James,  a  distinguished  patriot  and  statesman,  was 
the  son  of  the  honorable  James  Otis,  of  Barnstable,  Massa- 
chusetts, and  was  graduated  at  Harvard  college,  in  1743.  Af- 
ter pursuing  the  study  of  the  law  under  Mr.  Gridley,  the  first 
lawyer  and  civilian  of  his  time,  at  the  age  of  twenty  one  he 
began  the  practice  at  Plymouth.    In  1761,  he  distinguished 
himself  by  pleading  against  the  writs  of  assistance,  which  the 
officers  of  the  customs  had  applied  for  to  the  judges  of  the 
supreme  court.    His  antagonist  was  Mr.  Gridley.   He  was  in 
this  or  the  following  year,  chosen  a  member  of  the  legislature 
of  Massachusetts,  in  which  body  the  powers  of  his  eldquence, 
the  keenness  of  his  wit,  the  force  of  his  arguments,  and  the 
resources  of  his  intellect,  gave  him  a  most  commanding  in- 
fluence.   When  the  arbitrary  claims  of  Great  Britain  were 
advanced,  he  warmly  engaged  in  defence  of  the  colonies,  and 
was  the  first  champion  of  American  freedom  who  had  the 
courage  to  affix  his  name  to  a  production  that  stood  forth 
against  the  pretensions  of  the  parent  state.  He  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  congress  which  was  held  at  New  York,  in  1765,  in 
which  year  his  Rights  of  the  Colonies  Vindicated,  a  pamphlet, 
occasioned  by  the^stamp  act,  and  which  was  considered  as  a 
masterpiece,  both  of  good  writing  and  of  argument,  was  pub- 
lished in  London.     For  the  boldness  of  his  opinions  he  was 
threatened  with  arrest ;  yet  he  continued  to  support  the  rights 
of  his  fellow  citizens.    He  resigned  the  office  of  judge  advo- 
cate in  1 767,  and  renounced  all  employment  under  an  admi- 
nistration  which   had  encroached  upon  the  liberties  of  his 
country.    His  warm  passions  sometimes  betrayed  him  into 
unguarded   epithets,    that   gave  his  enemies  an  advantage, 
without  benefit  to  the  cause  which  lay  nearest  his  heart. — 
Being  vilified  in  the  public  papers,  he  in  return  published 
some  severe  strictures  on  the  conduct  of  the  commissioners  of 
the  customs,   and  others  of  the  ministerial  party.    A  short 
time  afterwards,  on  the  evening  of  the  5th  of  September  1769, 
he  met  Mr.  John  Robinson,  one  of  the  commissioners,  in  a 
public  room,  and  an  affray  followed,  in  which  he  was  as- 
saulted by  a  number  of  ruffians,  who  left  him  and  a  young 
gentleman,    who  interposed   in    his  defence,    covered    with 
wounds.    The  wounds   were  not  mortal,  but  his  usefulness 
was  destroyed,  for  his  reason  was  shaken  from  its  throne, 
and  the  great  man  in  ruins  lived  several  years  the  grief  of 
his  friends.    In  an  interval  of  reason  he  forgave  the  men  who 
had  done  him  an  irreparable  injury,  and  relinquished  the  sum 

47 


sr©      i  OTis. 

of  five  thousand  pounds  sterling,  which  Mr.  Robinson  had 
been,  by  a  civil  process,  adjudged  to  pay,  on  his  signing  a 
humble  acknowledgment.  He  lived  to  see,  but  not  fully  to 
enjoy,  the  independence  of  America,  an  event  towards  which 
his  efforts  had  greatly  contributed.  At  length  on  the  twenty 
third  day  of  May,  1783,  as  he  was  leaning  on  his  cane  at  the 
door  of  Mr.  Osgood's  house  in  Andover,  he  was  struck  by  a 
flash  of  lightning  ;  his  soul  was  instantly  liberated  from  its 
shattered  tenement,  and  sent  into  eternity. 

"It  is  a  singular  coincidence,  that  he  often  expressed  a  wish 
for  such  a  fate.  He  told  his  sister.  Mrs.  Warren,  after  his 
reason  was  impaired,  "My  dear  sister,  I  hope  when  God  Al- 
mighty in  his  righteous  providence  shall  take  me  out  of  time 
into  eternity,  that  it  will  be  by  a  flash  of  lightning,"  and  this 
idea  he'often  repeated. 

"There  is  a  degree  of  consolation  blended  with  awe  in  the 
manner  of  his  death,  and  a  soothing  fitness  in  the  sublime  ac- 
cident which  occasioned  it.  The  end  of  his  life  was  ennobled, 
when  the  ruins  of  a  great  mind,  instead  of  being  undermined 
by  loathsome  and  obscure  disease,  were  demolished  at  once  by 
a  bright  bolt  from  Heaven. 

"His  body  was  taken  to  Boston,  and  his  funeral  was  at- 
tended with  everv  mark  of  respect,  and  exhibited  one  of  the 
most  numerous  processions  ever  seen  in  the  town. 

"Mr.  Otis  was  one  of  the  master  spirits  who  began  and  con- 
ducted an  opposition,  which  at  first,  was  only  designed  to 
counteract  and  defeat  an  arbitrary  administration,  but  which 
ended  in  a  revolution,  emancipated  a  continent,  and  establish- 
cd  by  the  example  of  its  effects,  a  lasting  influence  on  all  the 
governments  of  the  civilized  world. 

"He  espoused  the  cause  of  his  country,  not  merely  because 
it  was  popular,  but  because  he  said  that  its  prosperity,  free- 
dom and  honor,  would  be  all  diminished,  if  the  usurpation  of 
the  British  parliament  was  successful.  His  enemies  constant- 
ly represented  him  as  a  demagogue,  yet  no  man  was  less  so. 
His  character  was  too  liberal,  proud  and  honest,  to  play  that 
part.  He  led  public  opinion  by  the  energy  which  conscious 
strength,  elevated  views  and  quick  feelings  inspire,  and 
was  followed  with  that  deference  and  reliance  which  great 
talents  instinctively  command.  These  were  the  qualifications 
that  made  him,  for  many  years,  the  oracle  and  guide  of  the 
patriotic  party. 

"As  in  every  case  of  public  or  private  oppression,  he  was 
willing  to  volunteer  in  the  cause  of  the  suffering,  and  in  ma- 
ny instances  where  he  thought  the  occasion  would  justify  it, 
he  employed  his  talents  gratuitously,  his  enemies  were  forced 
*o  acknowledge  his  liberality. 


ORR— PAINE.  371 

"lie  was  a  man  of  powerful  genius  and  ardent  temper,  with 
wit  and  humor  that  never  failed:  as  an  orator,  he  was  hold, 
argumentative,  impetuous  and  commanding,  with  an  eloquence 
that  made  his  own  excitement  irresistibly  contagious  :  and  as 
a  lawyer,  his  knowledge  and  ability  placed  him  at  the  head 
of  his  profession:  and  as  a  scholar,  he  was  rich  in  acquisition 
and  governed  by  a  classic  taste;  as  a  statesman  and  civilian, 
he  was  sound  and  just  in  his  views:  as  a  patriot,  he  resisted 
all  allurements  that  might  weaken  the  cause  of  that  country, 
to  which  he  devoted  his  life,  and  for  which  he  sacrificed  it. — 
The  future  historian  of  the  United  States,  in  considering  the 
foundation  of  American  independence,  will  find  that  one  of 
the  corner  stones  must  he  inscribed  with  the  name  of  James 
Otis. 

ORR,  Johx,  was  a  worthy  and  much  respected  officer  of 
the  revolution.  He  was  in  the  battle  of  Bennington,  under 
general  John  Stark  and  received  a  wound  in  the  thigh  in  the 
early  part  of  the  engagement.  The  ball  entered  just  above 
the  knee  joint,  and  lodged  in  the  hone,  which  was  much  frac- 
tured, an.i  1  irge  pieces  were  afterwards  extracted.  In  con- 
sequence of  this  wound  the  knee  joint  became  stiff,  and  he  was 
a  cripple  the  remainder  of  his  life.  As  a  man.  a  magistrate 
and  a  christian,  but  few  have  been  more  esteemed,  or  can  be 
more  deeply  lamented.  He  possessed  a  strong  discriminating 
mind,  a  sound  judgment,  and  retentive  memory,  which  emi- 
nently fitted  him  to  discharge  the  duties  of  the  several  sta- 
tions which  he  filled.  For  many  years  he  represented  the 
town  of  iiis  residence  in  the  general  court,  and  for  seven  years 
in  succession,  was  elected  a  senator  from  the  seventh  senato- 
rial district.  After  the  new  division  of  the  state  into  districts 
for  the  choice  of  senators,  December  29,  1803,  he  was  elected 
senator  for  district  No  3,  the  two  succeeding  years.  He  wras 
afterwards,  for  a  number  of  years  in  succession,  the  candi- 
date for  counsellor  of  the  county  of  Hillsborough.  He  was 
among  the  oldest  magistrates  in  the  county,  and  had  been  in 
commission,  as  justice  of  the  peace  and  of  the  quorum,  more 
than  twenty  years.  He  died  in  Bedford,  New-Hampshire, 
ni  the  year  1823,  aged  75  years. 

PAINE,  Thomas,  author  of  Common  Sense,  The  Crisis, 
Rights  of  Man,  &c.  &c.  was  born  in  England,  1737.  His 
education  and  early  life  differed  in  nothing  from  that  of  any 
other  intelligent  enterprising  young  mechanic.  As  soon  as  he 
iiad  acquired  a  knowledge  of  his  trade,  he  left  his  native 
town,  Thetford,  in  Nottinghamshire,  and  went  to  London, 
with  no  higher  (apparent)  ambition,  than  that  of  establishing 
himself  in  business  as  a  master  stay  maker.  He  next  went  to 
sea  in  a  British  privateer ;  after  that  he  was  an  exciseman 


$72  PAULDING. 

and  a  grocer.  He  emigrated  to  this  country  by  the  advice  o| 
Doctor  Franklin,  in  the  year  1775,  and  here  his  literary  and 
political  career  commenced.  The  popularity  of  his  writings, 
and  his  eloquent  speeches  during  the  revolutionary  war  in 
this  country,  rendered  him,  in  many  instances,  a  useful  auxi- 
liary to  the  army.  The  great  and  most  striking  feature  in  the 
character  of  Thomas  Paine,  is  that  intellectual  courage,  that 
bold  decision,  and  unwavering  confidence  in  his  own  powers, 
which  enable  the  possessor  coolly  to  mark  out  with  the  eye 
his  destined  course,  and  then  to  advance  with  firm  and  steady 
step,  careless  of  consequence,  and  fearless  of  public  opinion. 
The  circumstances  of  the  world  so  unaccountably  fickle,  so 
ready  to  change  order  into  anarchy,  and  then  anarchy  into 
despotism,  exceedingly  favored  the  system  of  Paine,  particu- 
larly in  Europe.  As  to  the  impious  folly  which  Paine  pub- 
lished on  the  subject  of  religion,  let  it  silently  pass  into  the 
grave  with  its  wofully  deluded  author.  He  died  at  New 
York,  in  the  year  1809,  aged  72  years. 

PAULDING,  John,  a  distinguished  soldier  of  the  revolu- 
tionary war,  and  one  of  the  three  incorruptible  patriots  who 
arrested  Major  Andre.  When  Andre  found  that  he  was  dis-, 
covered,  he  offered  his  gold  watch,  and  any  amount  in  cash 
or  dry  goods,  to  Paulding,  Williams,  and  Van  Wert,  if  they 
would  permit  him  to  escape.  All  his  offers  were  rejected  with 
disdain,  and  they  declared  that  ten  thousand  guineas,  or  any 
other  sum,  would  be  no  temptation.  It  was  to  their  virtue,  no 
less  glorious  to  America  than  Arnold's  apostacy  was  dis- 
graceful, that  his  treason  was  discovered.  While  Arnold  is 
handed  down  with  execration  to  future  times,  posterity  will 
repeat  with  reverence  the  names  of  Paulding,  Williams,  and 
Van  Wert. 

The  following  resolution  was  adopted  by  Congress,  on  the 
third  of  November,  1780,  as  a  reward  for  their  virtue  and 
fidelity. 

"  Whereas  Congress  have  received  information  that  John 
Paulding,  David  Williams,  and  Isaac  Van  Wert,  three  young 
volunteer  militia-men  of  the  state  of  New- York,  did,  on  the 
twenty  third  day  of  September  last,  intercept  major  John 
Andre,  adjutant-general  of  the  British  army,  on  his  return 
from  the  American  lines,  in  the  character  of  a  spy  ;  and  not- 
withstanding the  large  bribes  offered  them  for  his  release,  no- 
bly disdaining  to  sacrifice  their  country  for  the  sake  of  gold, 
secured  and  conveyed  hini  to  the  commanding  officer  of  the 
district,  whereby  the  dangerous  and  traitorous  conspiracy  of 
Benedict  Arnold  was  brought  to  light,  the  insiduous  designs 
of  the  enemy  baffled,  and  the  United  States  rescued  from  im- 
pending danger: 


PETERS-  373 

u  Resolved,  That  Congress  have  a  high  sense  of  the  virtu- 
ous and  patriotic  conduct,  of  the  said  John  Paulding,  David 
Williams,  and  Isaac  Van  Wert :  In  testimony  whereof, 

"  Ordered,  That  each  of  them  receive  annually,  out  of  the 
public  treasury,  two  hundred  dollars  in  specie,  or  an  equiva- 
lent in  the  current  money  of  these  states,  during  life  ;  and 
that  the  board  of  war  procure  for  each  of  them  a  silver  me- 
dal, on  one  side  of  which  shall  be  a  shield  with  this  inscrip- 
tion, "  Fidelity,"  and  on  the  other,  the  following  motto, 
*<  Vincit  amor  patriae,"  and  forward  them  to  the  commander 
in  chief,  who  is  requested  to  present  the  same,  with  a  copy  of 
this  resolution,  and  the  thanks  of  Congress  for  their  fidelity, 
and  the  eminent  service  they  have  rendered  their  country." 

Major  Paulding  died  at  Staasburg,  New  York,  on  the 
thirtieth  of  December  1819,  aged  eighty  seven  years. 

PETERS,  Nathan,  entered  the  service  of  his  country  at 
the  commencement  of  the  revolutionary  war,  and  early  in 
the  year  1775,  he  joined  the  Connecticut  squad,  and  marched 
with  them  to  Roxbury,  the  morning  after  the  news  of  the  alarm 
at  Boston  reached  Norwich.  He  was  soon  after  promoted 
to  the  rank  of  lieutenant,  in  which  station  he  acquitted  him- 
self with  great  promptness  and  credit,  and  for  his  officer-like 
conduct  and  urbanity  of  manners,  he  soon  gained  the  fullest 
confidence  and  esteem  of  general  Washington,  ami  all  those 
of  his  brother  officers  with  whom  he  had  the  pleasure  of  an  ac- 
quaintance. This  intimacy  and  friendship  of  general  Wash- 
ington, which  commenced  so  early  in  our  struggle  for  inde- 
pendence, continued  unabated  till  the  day  of  the  departure  of 
the  immortal  father  of  our  country.  Major  Peters  soon  pas- 
sed through  the  different  grades  from  lieutenant  to  major,  and 
in  the  mean  time  he  was  engaged  in  several  of  the  most  impor- 
tant battles  that  led  to  our  final  emancipation  from  the  Bri- 
tish yoke.  He  was  engaged  at  the  battle  at  Long-Island,  at 
York-Island,  at  Frog's  Point,  at  Princeton,  at  Trenton,  and 
at  Newport.  In  most  of  all  these  engagements,  he  was  con- 
sidered a  most  efficient  officer ;  and  in  the  latter,  as  appears 
by  his  testimonials,  he  was  from  the  nature  of  his  duty  expo- 
sed to  much  imminent  danger  ;  he  had  at  that  time  two  musket 
balls  passed  through  his  clothes;  but,  like  general  Washing- 
ton, he  never  received  a  wound.  He  was  also  no  less  distin- 
guished for  his  courage,  presence  of  mind,  and  intrepidity  of 
conduct  at  Groton  Fort.  He  was  the  first  man  who  dared  to 
enter  that  fortress  after  the  disgraceful  and  unprecedented 
assassinatiou  of  colonel  Ledyard.  At  that  critical  juncture,  he 
rode  into  the  fort,  and  with  his  own  hands  extinguished  the 
fire  which  had  been  set  to  a  train  of  wet  powder  l^y  the  Bri- 
tish, previous  to  their  leaving,  which,  as  has  often  been  said 


374  PETTIT. 

by  those  who  were  present,  would  in  less  than  live  minutes, 
have  communicated  with  the  dry  powder  in  the  magazine,  and 
blown  him,  and  all  those  who  immediately  followed  him,  into 
eternity.  Major  Peters,  after  the  close  of  the  war,  entered 
immediately  upon  the  husines  of  his  profession,  and  soon  be- 
came, and  was  for  many  years,  one  of  the  most  learned  law- 
yers, and  able  advocates  in  practice  at  the  New-London  Coun- 
ty har.  He  was  through  a  long  life  remarkable  for  the  cor- 
rectness and  purity  of  his  style,  whether  he  expressed  himself 
with  his  pen.  or  orally,  as  he  was  also  of  a  strong  ami  reten- 
tive memory.  Every  story  or  circumstance,  which  he  deem- 
ed worthy  of  notice,  he  could  call  to  mind  and  relate  with  the 
utmost,  correctness,  even  unto  his  latest  days. 

He  died  in  Norwich,  Connecticut,  in  the  year  1823. 

PETTIT.  Charles,  was  educated  and  practised  with  re 
piitation  as  a  lawyer.  At  the  commencement  of  the  revolu- 
tion he  was  secretary  of  New-Jersey  (the  province  in  which 
he  was  born)  under  governor  Franklin,  the  son  of  the  Amcri 
can  sage.  He  immediately,  however,  joined  the  standard  of 
independence,  and  throughout  the  memorable  contest  he  was 
a  constant,  a  faithful  and  an  efficient  public  agent.  He  con- 
tinued, under  governor  Livingston,  in  the  station  of  secreta- 
ry, until  called  to  act  in  a  more  extensive  field.  By  a  reso- 
lution of  congress  he  was  associated  with  his  friends  general 
Greene  am\  colonel  Coxe,  in  the  department  of  quarter- master- 
general  to  the  American  army;  and  those  friends,  who  well 
knew  the  intelligence  of  his  mind,  the  force  of  his  industry, 
and  the  ardor  of  his  patriotism,  with  a  merited  and  fortunate 
confidence,  devolved  upon  him  the  principal  execution  of  this 
arduous  trust.  General  Washington,  who  praised  him;  the 
soldiers  who  loved  him;  and  the  government  who  thanked  (but 
did  not  perhaps  sufficiently  reward)  him,  have  borne  testimo- 
ny of  his  meritorious  and  exemplary  services,  in  every  vicis- 
situde of  the  war. 

General  Greene  had  accepted  the  appointment  of  quarter- 
lnaster-general  only  upon  condition  that  the  two  gentlemen 
above  named  should  be  associated  with  him.  An  account  of  the 
peculiar  difficulties  which  they  all  had  to  encounter,  in  the 
management  of  this  highly  important  branch  of  the  public  ser- 
vice, will  be  found  contained  in  the  letters  written  by  them  at 
the  time,  and  referred  to,  and  in  part  cited  by  Judge  John- 
son in  the  first  volume  of  his  "Sketches  of  the  life  and  charac- 
ter of  general  Greene."  Upon  the  resignation  by  general 
Greene  of  his  station  at  the  head  of  the  department,  proposals 
were  made  to  colonel  Pettit  to  succeed  to  that  important  post. 
Circumstances,  however,  of  an  imperative  nature,  had  com- 
pelled general  Greene  to  resign,  and  as  these  equally  concern- 


PICKENS.  375 

ed  colonel  Pettit,  who  was  upon  terms  of  the  most  intimate 
and  confidential  friendship  with  him,  the  overtures  were  of 
course  declined. 

On  the  declaration  of  peace,  Mr.  Pettit  chose  Philadelphia 
for  his  residence,  and  herame  one  of  the  most  intelligent,  ac- 
tive, and  influential  merchants  of  the  city  He  still,  however, 
participated  in  public  business.  He  was  an  active  agent  to 
procure  a  fair  provision  for  the  public  creditors  :  himself,  it 
is  true,  having  become  in  very  hazardous  times,  to  almost  the 
whole  extent  of  his  fortune,  a  public  creditor.  As  a  member 
of  the  legislature  of  Pennsylvania,  he  was  the  author  of  the 
funding  system  of  the  state  :  not  with  a  view  to  embarrass 
the  then  federal  government,  but  with  a  view  to  alleviate  the 
distresses  of  his  constituents,  till  the  federal  government  had 
acquired  the  power  to  do  them  justice.  He  was  also  a  dele- 
gate in  Congress,  under  the  confederation,  and  then  for  the 
benefit  of  the  union,  as  well  as  of  the  state,  he  acquired  the 
general  confidence  :  employing  that  confidence  in  the  ad- 
vancement of  the  public  good,  regardless  of  personal  advan- 
tage. On  the  great  question  relative  to  the  present  constitu- 
tion of  the  United  States,  he  stated  his  objections  with  firm- 
ness, but  he  recommended  its  adoption  with  candour :  and  it 
is  known  that  he  became  the  principal  instrument  of  subdu- 
ing the  Pennsylvania  opposition,  by  his  conciliatory  conduct 
and  forcible  reasoning,  as  a  conferee,  at  the  general  confer- 
ence which  was  held  in  Harrisburgh,  previously  to  the  ulti- 
mate vote  of  ratification. 

For  some  years  before  his  death,  Mr.  Pettit  mingled  little 
in  the  controversies,  and  felt  little  of  the  cares  of  public  life. 
As  a  man  of  business,  however,  he  displayed  great  talents, 
assiduity,  and  fidelity,  in  presiding  over  the  first  incorporated 
insurance  company  of  Philadelphia.  As  a  member  of  society, 
he  circulated  useful  information,  settled  commercial  disputes, 
and  cultivated  by  precept  as  well  as  example,  "  Peace  on 
earth,  and  good  will  towards  men  :"  while  as  the  father  of  a 
numerous,  respectable  and  respected  offspring,  he  raised  a  mo- 
nument to  perpetuate  the  memory  of  his  domestic  virtues  and 
affections,  which  shall  endure  as  long  as  the  feelings  of  grati- 
tude can  influence  the  present  generation,  or  the  narrative  of 
truth  can  awaken  the  sensibility  of  their  posterity.  He  died 
at  Philadelphia,  on  the  sixth  day  of  September,  1806,  in  the 
seventieth  year  of  his  age. 

PICKENS,  Andrew,  was  horn  in  Bucks  county.  Penn- 
sylvania, on  the  13th  September,  1739.  His  ancestors  were 
driven  from  France  by  the  revocation  of  the  edict  of  Nantz. 
They  first  settled  in  Scotland,  and  afterwards  in  the  north  of 
Ireland.    His  father  emigrated  to  Pennsylvania,  from  where 


J70  PICKENS. 

he  removed  to  Augusta  county,  Virginia,  and  soon  alter  to  the 
Waxliaws,  in  South  Carolina,  before  Andrew  had  attained 
the  age  of  manhood. 

Like  many  of  our  most  distinguished  officers  of  the  revolu- 
tion, he  commenced  his  military  services  in  the  French  war, 
which  terminated  in  1763,  when  he  began  to  develope  those 
qualities  for  which  he  was  afterwards  so  eminently  distin- 
guished. In  the  year  1761,  he  served  as  a  volunteer  with 
Moultrie  and  Marion,  in  a  bloody  but  successful  expedition, 
under  lieutenant  colonel  Grant,  a  British  officer,  sent  by  ge- 
neral Amherst  to  command  against  the  Cherokees.  After  the 
termination  of  the  war,  he  removed  to  the  Long  Cane  settle- 
ment, and  was  wholly  engaged  for  several  years  in  the  usual 
pursuits  of  a  frontier  country  ;  hunting  and  agriculture. 

At  an  early  period  he  took  a  decided  stand  against  the  right 
claimed  by  Great  Britain,  to  tax  her  colonies  without  their 
consent ;  and  at  the  commencement  of  the  revolution  was  ap- 
pointed captain  of  militia.  The  distinguished  part  which  he 
acted  in  the  struggle  for  independence,  has  been  recorded  by 
the  historian,  and  the  principal  events  can  only  be  alluded  to 
in  the  present  sketch.  His  zeal  and  skill  were  rewarded  by 
bis  country,  by  his  being  rapidly  promoted  to  the  respective 
commands  of  major,  colonel,  and  brigadier  general.  In  the 
most  despondent  time,  when  this  section  of  the  union  was 
overrun  by  the  enemy,  and  suffered  from  the  tories  all  the  hor- 
rors of  civil  war,  he  remained  unshaken,  and,  with  Marion 
and  Sumpter,  kept  up  the  spirit  of  resistance.  He  commanded 
in  chief  in  the  expedition  against  the  Cherokees,  in  1781; 
and  such  was  his  success,  that  in  a  few  days,  with  an  incon- 
siderable force,  he  subdued  the  spirit  of  that  then  powerful 
nation,  and  laid  the  foundation  of  a  peace  so  permanent,  that 
it  has  not  since  been  disturbed. 

At  Kettle  Creek  his  conduct  was  equally  distinguished  and 
successful ;  with  half  the  force,  he  defeated,  after  a  severe  con- 
test, a  large  body  of  tories,  under  the  command  of  colonel 
Boyd.  The  results  of  this  victory  were  highly  important.  It 
broke  the  spirit  of  the  tories,  and  secured  the  internal  peace  for 
a  considerable  time,  of  the  interior  of  the  Carolinas  and  Geor- 
gia. No  less  conspicuous  was  his  conduct  at  the  Cowpens. 
He  there  commanded  the  militia  forces  ;  and,  animated  by  the 
spirit  and  courage  of  their  commander  in  that  important  bat- 
tle, they  fairly  won  an  equal  share  of  glory  with  the  continen- 
tals, under  colonel  Howard.  For  his  gallantry  and  conduct 
on  that  occasion.  Congress  voted  him  a  sword.  At  the  Eu- 
taw  he  commanded,  with  Marion,  the  militia  of  the  two  Car-- 
olinas;  but  in  the  early  part  of  the  action  received  a  severe 
wound  in  his  breast  by  a  musket  ball.  His  life  was  providen- 
tially saved  by  the  ball  striking  the  buckle  of  his  sword. 


PICKENS.  377 

\\  hen  Charleston  fell,  and  the  victorious  Britons  spreading 
themselves  over  the  country,  advanced  into  the  interior,  the 
revived  resentments  of  the  royalists,  compelled  Colonel  Pic- 
kens, and  the  steady  adherents  of  the  cause  of  freedom,  to 
abandon  their  habitations  and  country,  and  seek  for  refuge  in 
North  Carolina.  So  soon,  however,  as  General  Greene  had 
taken  command  of  the  army,  and  ordered  General  Morgan  to 
enter  the  western  division  of  the  state,  to  check  the  aggres- 
sions of  the  enemy,  and  to  revive  the  drooping  spirits  of  the 
whig  inhabitants,  Colonel  Pickens  was  found  the  most  active 
among  his  associates,  seconding  his  enterprises,  and  by  gen- 
lleness  and  conciliation,  attaching  new  adherents  to  the  cause. 
Of  his  intrepid  conduct  at  the  battle  of  the  Cowpens,  it  is 
scarcely  necessary  to  speak.  It  is  a  well  known  fact,  that  he 
not  only  prevailed  upon  his  riflemen  to  retain  their  fire  till  it 
could  be  given  with  deadly  effect,  but,  when  broken,  and 
compelled  to  retreat,  that  he  rallied  them  ;  and  what  had  ne- 
ver before  been  effected  with  militia,  brought  them  a  second 
time  to  meet  their  enemy,  and  by  continued  exertion,  to  ac- 
complish their  final  surrender. 

Peace  being  restored,  the  voice  of  his  country  called  him  to 
serve  her  in  various  civil  capacities  ;  and  he  continued,  with- 
out interruption,  in  public  employment  until  about  1801.  By 
the  treaty  of  Hopewell,  with  the  Cherokees,  in  which  he  was 
one  of  the  commissioners,  the  cession  of  that  portion  of  the 
state  now  called  Pendleton  and  Greenville,  was  obtained. 
Soon  after  he  settled  at  Hopewell,  on  Kcowee  river,  where  the 
treaty  was  held.  He  was  a  member  of  the  legislature,  and  af- 
terwards of  the  convention  which  formed  the  state  constitu- 
tion. He  was  elected  a  member  under  the  new  constitution, 
until  1794,  when  he  became  a  member  of  Congress.  Declin- 
ing a  re-election  to  congress,  he  was  again  returned  a  member 
to  the  legislature,  in  which  post  he  continued  until  about  1811. 
Such  was  the  confidence  of  general  Washington  in  him,  that 
he  requested  his  attendance  at  Philadelphia,  to  consult  with 
him  on  the  practicability  and  best  means  of  civilizing  the 
southern  Indians;  and  he  also  offered  him  the  command  of 
a  brigade  of  light  troops,  under  the  command  of  general  Wayne, 
in  his  campaigns  against  the  northern  Indians;  which  he  de- 
clined. In  1794,  when  the  militia  was  first  organized  confor- 
mable to  the  act  of  Congress,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  two 
major  generals;  which  commission  he  resigned  after  holding 
it  a  few  years.  He  was  employed  by  the  United  States  as  a 
commissioner  in  all  the  treaties  with  the  southern  Indians, 
until  he  withdrew  from  public  life. 

Determining  to  enjoy  that  serenity  and  tranquillity  which 
he  had  so  greatly  contributed  to  establish,  with  the  simplici- 

48 


378  PICKENS. 

ij  of  the  early  times  of  the  Roman  republic,  he  retired  from 
the  busy  scenes  of  life,  and  settled  on  hi*  farm  at  Tomussee, 
(a  place  peculiarly  interesting  to  him)  where  he  devoted  him- 
self with  little  interruption  to  domestic  pursuits  and  reflection 
until  his  death.  In  this  tranquil  period,  few  events  happen- 
ed to  check  the  tenor  of  his  happy  and  virtuous  life.  Reve- 
red and  beloved  by  all,  his  house,  though  remote  from  the 
more  frequented  parts  of  the  state,  was  still  tl  e  resort  of  nu- 
merous friends  and  relations  ;  and  often  received  tlie  visits  of 
the  enlightened  traveller.  Such  was  the  gentle  current  of  his 
latter  years  ;  still,  of  earthly  objects,  his  country  was  the  first 
in  his  affections.  He  viewed  with  great  interest  our  late  strug- 
gle, and  the  causes  which  excited  it,  distinctly  perceh  ing,  that 
in  its  consequences  the  prosperity,  independence  ant  glorv  of 
his  country  were  deeply  involved;  he  was  alive  to  its  various 
incidents.  In  this  hour  of  danger  the  eyes  of  his  fellow  citi- 
zens were  again  turned  to  their  tried  servant;  without  his 
knowledge  he  was  again  called  by  the  spontaneous  voice  of 
his  fellow  citizens  into  public  ser\ice.     Confidence  thus  ex- 

firessed  could  not  be  disregarded;  he  accepted  a  scat  it:  the 
egislature  in  1812,  and  was  pressed  to  serve  as  governor  at 
this  eventful  crisis,  which,  with  his  characteristic  moderation 
and  good  sense,  he  declined.  He  thought  the  struggle  should 
be  left  to  more  youthful  hands. 

He  died  in  South  Carolina  on  the  11th  of  October,  1817. 

In  his  domestic  circumstances  he  was  fortunate  :  by  indus- 
try and  attention  he  soon  acquired  a  competency  ;  and  never 
desired  more.  He  married  in  early  life,  has  left  a  numerous 
and  prosperous  offspring,  and  his  consort,  the  sister  of  John 
E.  Calhoun,  formerly  a  senator  in  congress,  died  but  a  few- 
years  before  him. 

Of  the  private  character  of  the  deceased  little  need  be  said  J 
for  among  its  strongest  features  was  simplicity  without  con- 
trariety or  change;  from  his  youth  to  age  he  was  ever  distin- 
guished for  a  punctual  performance  of  all  the  duties  of  life. 
He  was  from  early  life  a  firm  believer  in  the  christian  religion, 
and  an  influential  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church.  The 
strong  points  of  his  character  were  decision  and  prudence,  ac- 
companied, especially  in  youth,  with  remarkable  taciturnity. 
He  was  of  middle  stature,  active  and  robust:  and  enjoyed,  in 
consequence  of  the  natural  goodness  of  his  constitution  :;nd 
from  early  and  combined  temperance  and  activity,  almost  un- 
interrupted health  to  the  last  moments  of  his  life.  He  retain- 
ed much  of  his  strength  and  nearly  all  his  mental  vigour  in 
perfection  ;  and  died,  not  in  consequence  of  the  exhaustion  of 
nature,  or  previous  sickness  ;  for  the  stroke  of  death  fell  sud- 
den, and  while  his  personal  acquaintance  were  anticipating 
the  addition  of  many  years  to  his  life. 


TORTER.  379 

PORTER,  Andrew,  colonel  of  the  fourth  or  Pennsylva- 
nia regiment  of  artillery,  ami  subsequently  brigadier  and 
major  general  of  the  second  division  Pennsylvania  militia,  was 
born  in  what  is  now  Worcester  township,  Montgomery  coun- 
ty, Pennsylvania,  on  the  24th  September,  1743.  His  life  af- 
fords a  striking  and  useful  example  of  what  native  energy  and 
genius  ma)  accomplish,  unfostered  and  unaided,  except  by  its 
own  exertions.  Without  the  influence  of  family  and  friends, 
without  the  common  advantages  of  early  education,  he  rose 
to  rank  ;r.:<i  respectability,  both  in  civil  and  military  life,  and 
held  a  distinguished  station  in  the  scientific  world.  Nature 
gifted  him  with  a  strong  and  vigorous  intellect,  and  a  clear 
discriminating  mind  :  and  these  faculties  being  applied,  al- 
though comparatively  at  a  late  period  in  life,  to  scientific  pur- 
suits, with  untiring  industry  and  perseverance,  their  posses- 
sor was  rewarded  with  a  success  seldom  attained  by  those 
who  enter  on  a  similar  course  under  more  favourable  aus- 
pices. 

His  father,  Mr.  Robert  Porter,  a  native  of  Ireland,  who 
emigrated  to  this  country  in  early  life,  was  a  respectable  far- 
mer, but  in  moderate  circumstances,  and  having  a  large  fami- 
ly of  children,  he  was  unable,  had  he  been  so  'Usposed,  to  ex- 
pend much  upon  their  education.  Andrew,  the  subject  of  this 
notice,  had  shewn  an  early  taste  for  reading  what  few 
books  he  could  procure;  and  when  at  the  age  of  eighteen  or 
nineteen,  his  father  had  determined  on  his  learning  the  trade 
of  a  carpenter,  with  an  elder  brother,  that  brother,  after  a  few 
months  trial,  declared  he  must  give  him  up  ;  that  Andrew 
was  too  fond  of  books  and  of  figures,  and  too  little  disposed 
to  work,  ever  to  be  useful  to  him  as  an  apprentice.  About 
this  period  of  his  life  a  circumstance  occurred,  laughable  in 
itself,  but  which  had  a  serious  effect  in  giving  a  direction  to 
his  future  pursuits.  He  had  from  the  first  discovered  a  taste 
for  mathematics,  and  had  read  some  few  books  in  that  branch 
of  science,  in  which  he  was  directed  by  an  Irish  gentle- 
man, named  Patrick  Mennon,  whom  he  occasionally  met, 
and  who  taught  a  school  some  twelve  or  fifteen  miles  from 
Mr.  Porter's  residence.  Seeing  in  those  books  the  draft  of  a 
sun-dial,  and  the  principles  upon  which  it  was  constructed, 
he  conceived  the  idea  of  making  one  for  himself.  He  started 
off  to  a  soap  stone  quarry  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Schuyl- 
kill, near  Spring  Mill,  and  having  selected  a  suitable  stone, 
he  carried  it  to  his  father's  residence,  a  distance  of  eight  or 
ten  miles,  where,  his  brothers  being  absent,  he  reduced  it  to 
a  proper  size  and  shape  by  the  use  of  their  saws,  planes,  and 
chissels,  but  in  his  operation  completely  spoiled  the  tools  : 
the  dial  was  finished ;  but  on  the  return  of  his  brothers  he 


380  PORTER. 

was  banished  from  the  carpenter's  shop.  His  father  then  at- 
tempted to  confine  him  to  the  business  of  farming  :  this  too 
failed  ;  and  believing  that  his  aversion  to  labour,  and  his 
fondness  for  books,  were  so  great  that  he  would  never  be  suc- 
cessful as  a  farmer  or  mechanic,  he  determined  on  fitting 
him,  in  some  measure,  for  the  humble  occupation  of  a  coun- 
try school-master.  He  was  sent  for  a  short  time  to  Mr.  Men- 
lion's  school,  during  which  he  made  rapid  improvement,  es- 
pecially in  the  mathematics,  and  then  opened  a  school  him- 
self in  the  neighbourhood  of  his  father's  residence,  pursuing 
his  favourite  study  at  every  leisure  moment. 

Understanding  that  Dr.  Rittenhouse  was  spending  some 
time  at  his  farm,  in  Norriton,  young  Mr.  Porter  paid  him  a 
visit  for  the  purpose  of  borrowing  some  work  on  fluxions,  or 
conic  sections.  The  doctor  enquired  whether  he  had  ever  had 
any  mathematical  instruction  :  from  whom,  and  for  what  pe- 
riod of  time ;  and  finding  that  he  had  received  but  a  few 
months  regular  tuition,  told  him  he  thought  he  could  not  com- 
prehend the  work  which  he  wished  to  borrow.  Our  young 
mathematician,  however,  insisted  that  he  was  prepared  to  en- 
ter on  the  subject,  and  a  conversation  ensued,  which  so  sa- 
tisfied the  Doctor  of  the  correctness  of  his  knowledge,  that  he 
advised  him  not  to  bury  himself  in  the  country,  but  immedi- 
ately to  proceed  to  Philadelphia,  and  open  a  mathematical 
school  there. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1767,  he  removed  to  Philadelphia, 
and  took  charge  of  an  English  and  Mathematical  school, 
which  he  conducted  with  much  reputation  and  celebrity,  un- 
til the  spring  of  the  year  1776,  when,  at  his  country's  call, 
he  bade  adieu  to  his  peaceful  avocations,  to  defend  her  cause. 
During  his  residence  in  Philadelphia,  he  was  the  associate  of 
Doctors  Rittenhouse,  Ewing,  Rush,  and  other  distinguished 
scientific  men,  made  great  progress  in  his  favourite  studies, 
and  became  an  accurate  astronomer. 

On  the  19th  of  June,  1776,  he  was  commissioned  by  Con- 
gress a  captain  of  marines,  and  ordered  on  board  the  frigate 
Effingham.  At  this  time  his  school  contained  about  one  hun- 
dred scholars,  and  enabled  him  to  support,  comfortably,  a 
family  of  five  small  children,  who  had  recently  lost  their  mo- 
ther ;  but  all  considerations  of  family  or  self  seemed  to  him 
to  be  lost  in  the  cause  of  his  country.  Not  finding  in  the  ma- 
rine service  the  opportunity  of  rendering  his  country  the  ser- 
vice he  desired,  he  was  shortly  after  transferred  to  the  artil- 
lery, a  corps,  in  which,  from  his  previous  studies,  he  was 
qualified  to  be  eminently  useful.  He  continued  to  serve  as  a 
captain  of  artillery,  with  great  reputation  for  science  and 
bravery,  until  the  year  1782,  when  he  was  promoted  to  a  ma- 


PORTER.  381 

jority,  to  rank  as  such  from  the  10th  of  April,  1731.  He  was 
subsequently  promoted  to  the  successive  ranks  of  lieutenant 
colonel,  lieutenant  colonel  commandant,  and  colonel  of  the 
fourth,  or  Pennsylvania  Regiment  of  Artillery;  which  lat- 
ter station  he  held  at  the  disbanding  of  tlie  army. 

While  in  the  army,  he  was  personally  engaged  in  the 
cannonade  at  Trenton,  and  in  the  battles  of  Princeton, 
Brandywine,  and  Germantown.  In  the  latter  action,  nearly 
all  his  company  were  killed  or  taken  prisoners  :  and  in  the 
first,  he  received  on  the  field,  in  person,  the  commendation 
of  General  "Washington,  for  his  conduct  in  the  action.  In  the 
month  of  April,  1779.  he  was  detached  with  his  company  to 
join  Genera]  James  Clinton's  brigade,  in  the  operations  un- 
der General  Sullivan,  against  the  Indians.  He  left  the  grand 
park  of  artillery  at  Pluckamin,  on  the  sixth,  and  arrived  at 
Albany  on  the  13th  of  May,  where  he  joined  General  Clin- 
ton, with  whom  he  proceeded  to  Canaioharie  on  the  Mo- 
hawk river.  Hence  the  troops  were  marched  to  the  head  of 
the  Otsego  lake.  Here  it  was  that  Captain  Porter  suggested 
to  General  Clinton  the  idea  of  damming  the  outlet  of  the  lake, 
to  collect  a  sufficiency  of  water  for  the  conveyance  of  the 
troops  in  boats  to  Tioga  point,  where  they  were  to  meet  Ge- 
neral Sullivan's  army.  The  experiment  was  tried  ;  the  water 
in  the  lake  raised,  by  stopping  the  outlet,  to  the  height  of 
three  feet,  and  an  artificial  fresh  created,  which  answered  the 
proposed  purpose,  and  the  effect  of  which  on  the  river  was 
felt  as  low  as  Northumberland.  The  troops  arrived  safely  at 
Tioga  Point,  joined  General  Sullivan,  and  having  by  the  bat- 
tle of  the  £9th  of  August,  and  the  subsequent  destruction  of 
the  Indian  towns,  cornfields,  &c.  accomplished  the  object  of 
the  expedition,  the  artillery  rejoined  the  main  army,  and 
wintered  at  Morristown. 

When  the  siege  of  Yorktown  was  determined  on,  Colonel 
Porter  was  ordered  to  proceed  to  Philadelphia,  and  superin- 
tend the  laboratory,  at  which  the  various  kinds  of  ammuni- 
tion for  that  siege  were  prepared.  He  remonstrated  against 
being  thus  removed  from  a  station  in  which  he  might  distin- 
guish himself  in  the  field,  to  the  superintendance  of  what  was 
generally  considered  a  mere  chemical  laboratory.  His  objec- 
tions were  silenced  at  once  by  this  remark  of  the  Commander 
in  Chief :  "  You  say  you  are  desirous  of  being  placed  in  that 
situation  in  which  you  can  render  your  country  the  most  ef- 
ficient services  :  our  success  depends  much  on  the  manner  in 
which  our  cartridges,  bombs,  and  matches  are  prepared.  Tiie 
eye  of  science  is  required  to  superintend  their  preparation  ; 
and  if  the  information  of  General  Knox,  who  knows  you 
well  and  intimately,  is  to  be  depended  on,  there  is  no  officer 


382  PORTER. 

in  the  army  better  qualified  than  yourself,  lor  the  station  1 
have  assigned  you." 

The  grand  object  for  which  the  Americans  had  taken  np 
arms,  having  been  accomplished  by  the  peace  of  1783,  and 
the  army  being  disbanded.  Colonel  Porter  retired  to  private 
life.  The  trustees  of  the  University  of  Pennsylvania  tendered 
to  him  the  Professorship  of  Mathematics  in  that  institution, 
which  he  declined.  He  was  subsequently  appointed  by  the 
supreme  executive  Council  of  the  state,  a  commissioner  for 
running  by  astronomical  observations,  the  lines  between 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia:  Pennsylvania  and  what  is  now 
Ohio  ;  and  Pennsylvania  and  New  York.  In  this  business 
lie  was  engaged  during  the  years  1784,  '5,  '6,  and  '7,  in 
company  with  Dr.  Rittenhouse  Bishop  Madison,  Dr.  Ew- 
ing.  General  Clinton,  and  other  gentlemen  of  science.  He 
shortly  after  retired  to  his  farm,  in  Norriton  township,  Mont- 
gomery county,  within  a  few  miles  of  the  place  of  his  nativi- 
ty, on  which  he  continued  to  reside  until  the  spring  of  1S09. 
In  the  year  1800,  he  was  appointed,  in  conjunction  with  Ge- 
nerals Irvine  and  Bonde,  to  settle  the  controversies  of  the 
Pennsylvania  claimants  in  the  seventeen  townships,  in  the 
county  of  Luzerne,  but  resigned  the  situation  the  next  spring. 
In  the  same  year  be  was  appointed  Brigadier  General  of  the 
first  brigade,  second  division  of  Pennsylvania  Militia  ;  and 
shortly  after,  on  the  removal  of  General  Peter  Muhlenberg 
to  Philadelphia,  he  was  made  Major  General  of  the  division. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1809,  the  late  excellent  and  lament- 
ed governor  Snyder,  selected  him  to  fill  the  office  of  Surveyor 
General  of  the  Commonwealth  of  Pennsylvania,  which  situa- 
tion he  held  until  his  decease,  which  took  place  on  the  16th  of 
November,  1813.  The  present  lucid  arrangement  of  that  of- 
fice was  effected  by  him.  He  found  it  in  much  disorder,  re- 
modelled it,  and  made  order  and  harmony  out  of  chaos  and 
confusion. 

During  the  years  1812  and  1813,  he  declined  the  situations 
of  brigadier  general  in  the  army,  and  secretary  at  war  of  the 
United  States,  both  which  were  offered  to  him  by  president 
Madison,  believing  that  his  advanced  age  would  prevent  the 
execution  of  the  duties  of  either  situation  with  that  efficiency 
which  the  public  good  and  his  own  character  required. 

He  died,  universally  lamented,  at  the  advanced  age  of  se- 
venty years  and  upwards,  and  was  buried  at  Harrisburg  with 
military  honours,  in  the  Presbyterian  burial  ground  at  that 
place,  where  a  neat  white  marble  monument  designates  the 
depository  of  his  remains. 

General  Porter  was  twice  married  ;  first  in  1767,  and  se 
condly  in  1777,  his  first  wife  having  died  in  the  year  1775. 


PREBLE.  38$ 

He  left  to  survive  him  his  second  wife,  and  ten  children  ;  six 
sons  and  four  daughters.  In  stature  he  was  rather  above  the 
middle  size,  athletic,  and  rather  inclined  to  corpulency.  His 
long  service  in  the  army,  gave  him  a  military  air  and  digni- 
ty, which  he  carried  with  him  throughout  life.  He  was  gen- 
tlemanly and  courteous  in  his  intercourse  with  society;  but 
premeditated  injury  could  rouse  instantly  all  the  appalling 
energy  of  his  character.  In  his  politics  he  was  decidedly  re- 
publican ;  in  his  morals,  pure  ;  and  in  his  friendships,  warm 
and  sincere. 

PREBLE,  Edwakd,  commodore  in  the  American  navy, 
was  born  August  15,  1761.  in  Portland,  Massachusetts.  From 
early  childhood  he  discovered  a  strong  disposition  for  hazards 
and  adventures,  and  a  firm,  resolute,  and  persevering  tem- 
per. In  his  youth  he  became  a  mariner  on  board  a  merchant 
vessel. 

In  the  year  1779,  he  became  a  midshipman  in  the  state  ship 
Protector,  of  twenty-six  guns,  commanded  by  that  brave  offi- 
cer, John  Forster  Williams,  who  has  always  spoken  with  em- 
phasis of  the  courage  and  good  conduct  of  Mr.  Preble,  while 
in  his  ship. 

On  the  first  cruise  of  the  Protector,  she  engaged,  off  New- 
foundland, the  letter  of  marque  Admiral  Duff,  of  36  guns.  It 
was  a  short  but  hard  fought  action.  These  vessels  were  .  on- 
stantly  very  near  and  much  of  the  time  along  side,  so  that  balls 
were  thrown  from  one  to  the  other  by  hand.  The  Duff  struck, 
but  taking  fire  about  the  same  time,  she  in  a  few  minutes  blew 
up.  Between  thirty  and  forty  of  her  people  were  saved  and 
taken  on  board  the  Protector,  where  a  malignant  fever  soon 
spread  and  carried  off  two  thirds  of  captain  Williams's  crew. 
He  returned  to  an  eastern  port,  and  landing  his  prisoners  and 
recruiting  his  men,  sailed  on  a  second  cruise.  Falling  in  with 
a  British  sloop  of  war  and  frigate,  the  Protector  was  captured. 
The  principal  officers  were  taken  to  England,  but  Preble, 
by  the  interest  of  a  friend  of  his  father,  colonel  William 
Tyng,  obtained  his  release  at  New- York  and  returned  to 
Ms  friends. 

He  then  entered  as  first  lieutenant  on  board  the  sloop  of  war 
Winthrop,  captain  George  Little,  who  had  been  captain  Wil- 
liams's second  in  command  in  the  Protector,  had  scaled  the 
walls  of  his  prison  at  Plymouth,  and  with  one  other  person 
escaping  in  a  wherry  to  France,  took  passage  thence  to  Bos- 
ton. 

One  of  Mr.  Preble's  exploits,  while  in  this  station,  has  been 
often  mentioned  as  an  instance  of  daring  courage  and  cool  in- 
trepidity  not  less  than  of  good  fortune.  He  boarded  and  cut 
out  an  English  armed,  brig  of  superior  force  to  the  Winthrop 


S84  PREBLE. 

lying  in  Penobscot  harbour,  under  circumstances  which  justly 
gave  the  action  great  eclat.  Little  had  taken  the  brig's  ten- 
der, from  whom  he  gained  such  information  of  the  situation 
of  the  brig,  as  made  him  resolve  to  attempt  seizing  on  her  by 
surprise.  He  run  her  along  side  in  the  night,  having  prepa- 
red forty  men  to  jump  into  her  dressed  in  white  frocks,  to  en- 
able them  to  distinguish  friend  from  foe.  Coming  close  upon, 
her  lie  was  hailed  by  the  enemy,  who,  as  was  said,  supposed 
the  Winthrop  must  be  her  tender,  and  who  cried  out,  ''you 
will  run  aboard."  He  answered,  "I  am  coming  aboard," 
and  immediately  Preble,  with  fourteen  men,  sprung  into  the 
brig.  The  motion  of  the  vessel  was  so  rapid  that  the  rest  of 
the  forty  destined  for  boarding  missed  their  opportunity.  Lit- 
tle called  to  his  lieutenant  "will  you  not  have  more  men?" 
"No,"  he  answered  with  great  presence  of  mind  and  a  loud 
voice:  "we  have  more  than  we  want;  we  stand  in  each  other's 
way."  Those  of  the  enemy's  crew  who  were  on  deck  chiefly 
leaped  over  the  side,  and  others  below  from  the  cabin  window 
and  swam  to  the  shore,  which  was  within  pistol  shot.  Pre- 
ble instantly  entering  the  cabin,  found  the  officers  in  bed  or 
just  rising  ;  he  assured  them  they  were  his  prisoners  and  that 
resistance  was  vain,  and  if  attempted,  would  be  fatal  to  them. 
Believing  they  w  ere  surprised  and  mastered  by  superior  num- 
bers, they  forbore  any  attempt  to  rescue  the  vessel  and  sub- 
mitted. The  troops  of  the  enemy  marched  down  to  the  shore, 
and  commenced  a  brisk  firing  with  muskets,  and  the  battery 
opened  a  canonade,  which,  however,  was  too  high  to  take  ef- 
fect. In  the  mean  time  the  captors  beat  their  prize  out  of  the 
harbour,  exposed  for  a  considerable  space  to  volleys  of  mus- 
ketry, and  took  her  in  triumph  to  Boston. 

Lieutenant  Preble  continued  in  the  Winthrop  till  the  peace 
of  1783. 

In  1801,  he  had  the  command  of  the  frigate  Essex,  in  which 
he  performed  a  voyage  to  the  East  Indies,  for  the  protection 
of  our  trade.  In  1804,  he  was  appointed  commodore,  with  a 
squadron  of  seven  sail,  and  he  soon  made  his  passage  to  the 
Mediterranean  with  the  design  of  humbling  the  Tripolitan 
barbarians.  He,  with  commodore  Rodgers,  (who  commodore 
Preble  succeeded)  and  captain  Bainbridge,  took  such  mea- 
sures with  regard  to  the  emperor  of  Morocco,  as  led  to  a  peace. 
The  commodore  in  giving  an  account  to  his  government  of 
his  proceedings,  observed,  "  In  the  whole  of  this  business  I 
have  advised  with  colonel  Lear,  Mr.  Simpson,  and  commo- 
dore Rodgers.  I  am  confident  we  have  all  been  actuated  by 
the  same  motive,  the  good  of  our  country." 

Commodore  Preble  having  nothing  at  present  to  fear  from 
Morocco,  directed  his  principal  attention  to  Tripoli.     He  or- 


PREBLE.  383 

dered  the  frigate  Philadelphia,  captain  Bainbridge,  and  the 
schooner  Vixen,  to  the  coast  of  Tripoli,  and  formally  declar- 
ed the  blockade  of  that  place,  and  sent  notice  of  the  fact  to  the 
respective  neutral  powers.  On  the  31st  of  October,  the  Phi- 
ladelphia frigate,  after  pursuing  a  Tripolitan  corsair  till  she 
came  to  seven  fathoms  water,  in  beating  off  she  ran  on  a  rock, 
not  laid  down  in  any  chart,  about  four  and  a  half  miles  from 
the  town.  Every  exertion  to  get  her  off,  proved  ineffectual* 
Meanwhile  she  was  attacked  by  numerous  gun-boats,  which 
she  withstood  for  four  hours,  whilst  the  careening  of  the  ship 
made  the  guns  totally  useless.  A  reinforcement  coming  off, 
and  no  possible  means  of  resisting  them  appearing,  the  cap- 
tain submitted  to  the  horrid  necessity  of  striking  to  his  bar- 
barous enemy.  They  took  possession  of  the  ship,  and  made 
prisoners  of  the  officers  and  men,  in  number  three  hundred, 
with  robbery,  violence,  and  insult.  In  forty-eight  hours,  the 
wind  blowing  in  shore,  the  Tripolitans  were  able  to  get  off 
the  frigate,  and  having  raised  her  guns,  towed  her  into  the 
harbor  of  Tripoli.  The  commodore  apprehended  the  worst 
from  this  diminution  of  his  force  ;  a  war  with  Tunis,  and  per- 
haps with  Algiers  ;  at  least,  a  protraction  of  the  present  war, 
He  now  procured  a  number  of  gun-boats  from  the  king  of 
Naples,  and  proceeded  to  the  attack  of  Tripoli* 

February  3rd,  1804,  lieutenant  Stephen  Decatur,  with  se- 
venty volunteers  in  the  Intrepid,  and  accompanied  by  the  Sy- 
ren, sailed  for  Tripoli,  with  a  view  to  destroy,  as  they  could 
not  in  any  event  expect  to  bring  out,  the  frigate  Philadelphia. 
On  the  16th,  the  service  was  accomplished  in  the  most  gal- 
lant manner.  Lieutenant  Decatur  entered  the  harbour  of 
Tripoli  in  the  night;  and  laying  his  vessel  along  side  the 
frigate,  boarded  and  carried  her  against  all  opposition.  A 
large  number  of  men  were  on  board,  of  whom  twenty  or 
thirty  were  slain,  and  the  remainder  driven  over  the  side, 
excepting  one  boat's  crew,  which  escaped  to  the  shore,  and 
one  person  made  prisoner.  The  assailants  then  set  fire  to  her, 
and  left  her.  She  was  soon  in  a  complete  blaze,  and  was  to- 
tally consumed.  The  frigate  lay  within  half  gun  shot  of  the 
castle  and  the  principal  battery,  with  her  guns  mounted  and 
loaded,  and  two  corsairs  full  of  men,  were  riding  very  near. 
We  had  none  killed,  and  only  one  wounded. 

From  this  time  till  the  bombardment  of  Tripoli,  the  com- 
modore was  occupied  in  cruising  and  keeping  up  the  block- 
ade of  the  Tripoline  harbour.  In  August  the  American  squad- 
ron and  gunboats  attacked  the  shipping  and  batteries,  and  a 
desperate  conflict  ensued,  which  resulted  gloriously  for  the 
American  arms.  Such  was  the  consternation  of  the  Turks, 
that  the  Bashaw  retreated,  it  is  said,  with  his  priest,  to  his 

49 


386  PRESCOTT. 

bomb  proof  room.  Many  of  the  guns  of  the  forts  were  dis- 
mounted, and  the  town  considerably  damaged.  In  September, 
commodore  Preble  obtained  leave  to  return  home.  The  offi- 
cers of  the  squadron  joined  in  an  address  to  their  late  com- 
mander, containing  the  strongest  expressions  of  attachment 
and  respect.  The  congress  of  the  United  States  voted  the 
thanks  of  the  nation  and  an  emblematical  medal,  which  were 
presented  by  the  president  with  emphatic  declarations  of  esteem 
and  admiration. 

When  the  commodore  returned  he  was  received  and  treated 
every  where  with  distinguished  attention.  His  countrymen 
showed  that  they  were  proud  of  his  fame,  and  grateful  for  his 
services.  The  next  year  peace  was  made  with  Tripoli,  and 
the  prisoners  ransomed.  He  died  on  the  25th  August,  1807, 
in  the  46th  year  of  his  age. 

The  person,  air,  and  countenance,  of  commodore  Preble 
answered  to  his  character.  His  features  expressed  strong 
passions  along  with  manly  and  generous  feelings.  His  atti- 
tude was  erect,  yet  easy  and  natural ;  and  his  whole  appear- 
ance and  port  were  noble  and  commanding. 

PRESCOTT,  William,  was  an  officer  distinguished  by 
the  most  determined  bravery,  and  became  conspicuous  as  an 
American  officer  from  the  circumstance  of  his  having  com- 
manded the  American  troops  at  the  battle  of  Bunker  hill,  on 
the  memorable  17th  of  June,  1775.  He  was  born  in  1726,  at 
Goshen,  in  Massachusetts,  and  was  a  lieutenant  of  the  pro- 
vincial troops  at  the  capture  of  Cape  Breton,  in  1758.  The 
British  General  was  so  much  pleased  with  his  conduct  in  that 
campaign,  that  he  offered  him  a  commission  in  the  regular 
army,  which  he  declined,  to  return  home  with  his  country- 
men. From  this  time  till  the  approach  of  the  revolutionary 
war,  he  remained  on  his  farm  in  Pepperel,  filling  various 
municipal  offices,  and  enjoying  the  esteem  and  affection  of 
his  fellow  citizens.  As  the  difficulties  between  the  mother 
country  and  the  colonies  grew  more  serious,  he  took  a  deep- 
er and  more  decided  part  in  public  affairs. 

In  1774,  he  was  appointed  to  command  a  regiment  of  mi- 
nute men,  organized  by  the  provincial  congress.  He  marched 
his  regiment  to  Lexington,  immediately  on  receiving  notice 
of  the  intended  operations  of  General  Gage  against  Concord  : 
but  the  British  detachment  had  retreated  before  he  had  time 
to  meet  it.  He  then  proceeded  to  Cambridge,  and  entered 
the  army  that  was  ordered  to  be  raised  ;  and  the  greater 
part  of  his  officers  and  privates  volunteered  to  serve  with 
him  for  the  first  campaign. 

On  the  1 6th  June,  three  regiments  were  placed  under  him, 
and  he  was  ordered  to  Charlestown  in  the  evening,  to  take 


PRE  SCOTT.  387 

possession  of  Bunker  hill,  and  throw  up  works  in  its  de- 
fence. When  they  reached  the  ground,  it  was  perceived  that 
Breed's  hill,  which  is  a  few  rods  south  of  Bunker's  hill,  was 
the  most  suitahle  station.  The  troops  under  the  direction  of 
Colonel  Gridley,  an  able  engineer,  were  busily  engaged  in 
throwing  up  a  small  redoubt  and  breast-work,  which  latter 
was  formed  by  placing  t\\o  rail  fences  near  together,  and  fill- 
ing the  interval  with  the  new  mown  hay  lying  on  the  ground. 
There  was  something  in  the  rustic  materials  of  these  defen- 
ces, hastily  made,  in  a  short  summer's  night,  within  gun- 
shot of  a  powerful  enemy,  that  was  particularly  apposite  to 
to  a  body  of  armed  husbandmen,  who  had  rushed  to  the  field 
at  the  first  sound  of  alarm. 

As  soon  as  these  frail  works  were  discovered  the  next 
morning,  the  British  commander  made  preparations  to  get 
possession  of  them.  General  Howe,  with  various  detach- 
ments* amounting  to  near  5000  men,  was  ordered  to  dislodge 
the  "  rebels."  The  force  which  Colonel  Prescott  could  com- 
mand for  the  defence  of  the  redoubt  and  breast-work,  was 
about  1^00  men.  Very  few  of  these  had  ever  seen  an  action. 
They  had  been  labouring  all  night  in  creating  these  defences ; 
and  the  redoubt,  if  it  could  be  so  called,  was  open  on  two 
sides.  Instead  of  being  relieved  by  fresh  troops,  as  they  had 
expected,  they  were  left  without  supplies  of  ammunition  or 
refreshment ;  and  thus  fatigued  and  destitute,  they  had  to 
bear  the  repeated  assaults  of  a  numerous,  well  appointed,  ve- 
tei^an  army.  They  destroyed  nearly  as  many  of  their  as- 
sailants, as  the  whole  of  their  own  number  engaged  ;  and 
they  did  not  retreat  till  their  ammunition  was  exhausted,  and 
the  enemy  supplied  with  fresh  troops  and  cannon,  completely 
overpowered  them. 

Colonel  Prescott  lost  nearly  one  quarter  of  his  own  regi- 
ment in  the  action.  When  General  Warren  came  upon  the 
hill,  Colonel  Prescott  asked  him  if  he  had  any  orders  to  give  : 
he  answered,  "No,  colonel,  I  am  only  a  volunteer ;  the  com- 
mand is  yours."  When  he  was  at  length  forced  to  tell  his 
men  to  retreat  as  well  as  they  could,  he  was  one  of  the  last 
who  left  the  intrenchment.  He  was  so  satisfied  with  the  bra- 
very of  his  companions,  and  convinced  that  the  enemy  were 
disheartened  by  the  severe  and  unexpected  loss  which  they 
had  sustained,  that  he  requested  the  commander  in  chief  to 
give  him  two  regiments,  and  he  would  retake  the  position  the 
same  night. 

He  continued  in  the  service  till  the  beginning  of  1777,  when 
he  resigned  and  returned  to  his  home  :  but  in  the  autumn  of 
that  year  he  went  as  a  volunteer  to  the  northern  army  under 
General  Gates,  and  assisted  in  the  capture  of  General  Bur- 


588  PRESCOTT. 

goyne.  This  was  his  last  military  service.  He  was  subse- 
quently, for  several  years,  a  member  of  the  legislature,  and 
died  in  1795,  in  the  seventieth  year  of  his  age. 

Colonel  Prescott  was  a  genuine  specimen  of  an  energetic, 
brave,  and  patriotic  citizen,  who  was  ready  in  the  hour  of 
danger,  to  place  himself  in  the  van,  and  partake  in  all  the 
perils  of  his  country  ;  feeling  anxious  for  its  prosperity, 
without  caring  to  share  in  its  emoluments  ;  and  maintaining 
beneath  a  plain  exterior  and  simple  habits,  a  dignified  pride, 
in  his  native  land,  and  a  high-minded  love  of  freedom. 

The  immediate  results  of  this  engagement  were  great  and 
various.  Though  the  Americans  were  obliged  to  yield  the 
ground  for  want  of  ammunition,  yet  their  defeat  was  sub- 
stantially a  triumph.  The  actual  loss  of  the  British  army 
was  severe,  and  was  deeply  felt  by  themselves  and  their 
friends.  The  charm  of  their  invincibility  was  broken.  The 
hopes  of  the  whole  continent  were  raised.  It  was  demonstra- 
ted that  although  they  might  burn  towns,  or  overwhelm  raw 
troops  by  superior  discipline  and  numbers,  yet  the  conquest 
at  least  would  not  be  an  easy  one.  Those  patriots,  who,  un- 
der the  most  arduous  responsibility,  at  the  peril  of  every 
thing  which  men  of  sense  and  virtue  can  value,  hazarded  in 
the  support  of  public  principles,  present  ruin  and  future  dis- 
grace, though  they  felt  this  onset  to  be  only  the  beginning  of 
a  civil  war,  yet  were  invigorated  by  its  results,  which  clear- 
ed away  some  painful  uncertainties  ;  while  the  bravery  and 
firmness  that  had  been  displayed  by  their  countrymen,  inspi- 
red a  more  positive  expectation  of  being  ultimately  trium° 
phant. 

In  the  life  of  James  Otis,  by  William  Tudor,  of  Boston, 
from  which  work  the  foregoing  is  taken,  the  following  note  is 
made  relative  to  the  battle.  "The  anxiety  and  various  emo- 
tions of  the  people  of  Boston,  on  this  occasion,  had  a  highly 
dramatic  kind  of  interest.  Those  who  sided  with  the  British 
troops  began  to  see  even  in  the  duration  of  this  battle,  the  pos- 
sibility that  they  had  taken  the  wrong  side,  and  that  they  might 
become  exiles  from  their  country.  While  those  whose  whole 
soul  was  with  their  countrymen,  were  in  dreadful  apprehen- 
sion for  their  friends,  in  a  contest,  the  severity  of  which  was 
shewn  by  the  destruction  of  so  many  of  their  enemies. 

"  After  the  battle  had  continued  for  some  time,  a  young  per- 
son living  in  Boston,  possessed  of  very  keen  and  generous  feel- 
ings, bordering  a  little  perhaps  on  the  romantic,  as  was  natu- 
ral to  her  age,  sex,  and  lively  imagination,  finding  that  many 
of  the  wounded  troops  brought  over  from  the  field  of  action 
were  carried  by  her  residence,  mixed  a  quantity  of  refreshing 
beverage,  and  with  a  female  domestic  by  her  side,  stood  at  the 


PRIOLEAU.  3S9 

door  and  offered  it  to  the  sufferers  as  they  were  borne  along, 
burning  with  fever  and  parched  with  thirst.  Several  of  them, 
grateful  for  the  kindness,  gave  her,  as  they  thought,  consola- 
tion, by  assuring  her  of  the  destruction  of  her  countrymen. 
One  young  officer  said,  "  never  mind  it  my  young  lady,  we 
have  peppered  'em  well,  depend  upon  it."  Her  dearest  feel- 
ings, deeply  interested  in  the  opposite  camp,  were  thus  unin- 
tentionally lacerated,  while  she  was  pouring  oil  and  wine 
into  their  wounds." 

General  Henry  Lee,  in  his  memoirs  of  the  war  in  the  South- 
ern Department,  makes  the  following  remark,  in  relation  to 
Prescott  and  his  gallant  band  : 

"  When  future  generations  shall  enquire,  where  are  the 
men  who  gained  the  brightest  prize  of  glory  in  the  arduous 
contest  which  ushered  in  our  nation's  birth  ?  upon  Prescott 
and  his  companions  in  arms  will  the  eye  of  history  beam. 
The  military  annals  of  the  world  rarely  furnish  an  achieve- 
ment which  equals  the  firmness  and  courage  displayed  on  that 
proud  day  by  the  gallant  band  of  Americans  :  and  it  certain- 
ly stands  first  in  the  brilliant  events  of  the  war." 

PRIOLEAU,  Samuel,  was  a  native  of  Charleston,  South 
Carolina.  In  the  contest  for  our  independence,  he  took  an 
early  and  an  active  part,  from  which  he  never  shrunk  during 
the  whole  course  of  that  memorable  struggle;  encountering 
with  his  countrymen  a  full  share  of  its  dangers  ;  and  sustain- 
ing its  vicissitudes  "throughout  those  scenes  that  tried  men's 
souls."  After  the  fall  of  Charleston,  he  was  numbered  by 
the  British  with  that  band  of  patriots,  whose  constancy  they 
attempted  to  subdue  by  the  torture  of  exile,  persecution  and 
imprisonment.  At  St.  Augustine  he  patiently  and  manfully 
sustained,  with  his  compatriots,  all  the  sufferings  and  indigni- 
ties heaped  upon  them  by  the  enemy  ;  while  his  wife  and  fam- 
ily of  young  children,  stripped  of  all  their  means,  were  ban- 
ished from  their  home,  and  transported  to  Philadelphia.  Firm, 
amidst  these  storms  o?  adversity,  he  disdained  to  purchase 
from  the  enemy  the  smallest  immunity  or  mitigation  for  him- 
self or  family,  by  abating  a  single  sentiment  in  favor  of  his 
country,  or  by  ceasing  to  be  a  bold  and  exemplary  advocate 
for  her  independence.  After  the  revolution,  he  repaired,  by  a 
course  of  unabating  industry,  the  ravages  it  bad  made  on  his 
fortune  ;  and  maintained  to  the  end  of  life  the  character  of  an 
honest  upright  man.  In  his  private  relations  he  was  justly 
endeared  for  his  affection,  tenderness,  indulgence,  and  benefi- 
cence; the  impressions  of  which  will  long  remain,  after  the 
lenient  band  of  time  shall  have  assuaged  the  poignancy  of 
grief  for  the  loss  of  such  a  husband,  father  and  friend. 

He  died  in  Charleston,  on  the  23d  March,  1813,  in  the  se- 
venty-first year  of  his  age. 


390  PULASKI. 

PULASKI,  (count.)  This  gallant  soldier  was  a  native  oi 
Poland,  whose  disastrous  history  is  well  known.  Vainly 
struggling  to  restore  the  lost  independence  of  his  country,  he 
was  forced  to  seek  personal  safety  by  its  abandonment.  Pu- 
laski, with  a  few  men.  in  the  year  1771,  carried  off  king  Stan- 
islaus from  the  middle  of  his  capitol,  though  surrounded  by  a 
numerous  body  of  guards,  and  a  Russian  army.  The  king 
soon  escaped  and  declared  Pulaski  an  outlaw.  Hearing  of  the 
glorious  struggle  in  which  we  were  engaged,  he  hastened  to 
the  wilds  of  America,  and  associated  himself  with  our  perils 
and  our  fortunes.  Congress  honoured  him  with  the  commis- 
sion of  brigadier  general,  with  a  view,  as  was  rumoured,  of 
placing  him  at  the  head  of  the  American  calvary,  the  line  of 
service  in  which  he  had  been  bred.  But  his  ignorance  of  our 
language,  and  the  distaste  of  our  officers  to  foreign  superiori- 
ty, stifled  this  project.  He  was  then  authorised  to  raise  a  le- 
gionary corps,  appointing  his  own  officers. 

Indefatigable  and  persevering,  the  count  collected  about  two 
hundred  infantry  and  two  hundred  horse,  made  up  of  all  sorts, 
chiefly  of  German  deserters.  His  officers  were  generally  for- 
eign, with  some  Americans.  With  this  assemblage,  the  count 
took  the  field ;  and  after  serving  some  time  in  the  northern  ar- 
my, he  was  sent  to  the  south,  and  fell  at  the  battle  of  Savan- 
nah. There  slumbers  the  gallant  Pole,  the  immortal  Pulaski, 
who  threw  himself  into  the  arms  of  America,  and  professed 
himself  the  champion  of  her  rights ;  and  in  the  unfortunate  af- 
fair of  Savannah,  sealed  with  his  blood,  the  rising  liberties 
of  his  adopted  country. 

He  was  sober,  diligent  and  intrepid,  gentlemanly  in  his 
manners,  and  amiable  in  heart.  He  was  very  reserved,  and, 
when  alone,  betrayed  strong  evidence  of  deep  melancholy. 
Those  who  knew  him  intimately,  spoke  highly  of  the  sub- 
limity of  his  virtue,  and  the  constancy  of  his  friendship.  Com- 
manding this  heterogeneous  corps  badly  equipped  and  worse 
mounted,  this  brave  Pole  encountered  difficulties  ajid  sought 
danger.  Nor  is  there  a  doubt  if  he  had  been  conversant  in 
our  language,  and  better  acquainted  with  our  customs  and 
country,  he  would  have  become  one  of  our  most  conspicuous 
and  useful  officers. 

General  Lee,  to  whom  we  are  indebted  for  this  sketch, 
gives  the  following  account  in  his  memoirs,  of  the  attack  on 
Savannah,  where  it  will  be  found  the  intrepid  Pulaski  made  a 
gallant  effort  to  retrieve  the  fortune  of  the  day. 

"  On  the  9th  of  October,  1779,  the  allied  troops  under  the 
count  d'Estaing  and  general  Lincoln,  moved  to  the  assault. 
The  serious  stroke  having  been  committed  to  two  columns, 
one  was  led  by  d'Estaing  and  Lincoln  united,  the  other  by 


PULASKI.  391 

count  Dillon ;  the  third  column  moved  upon  the  enemy's  cen- 
tre and  left,  first  to  attract  attention,  and  lastly  to  press  any 
advantage  which  might  be  derived  from  the  assault  by  our 
left. 

"The  troops  acted  well  their  parts  and  the  issue  hung  for 
some  time  suspended.  Dillon's  column,  mistaking  its  route 
in  the  darkness  of  the  morning,  failed  in  co-operation,  and 
very  much  reduced  the  force  of  the  attack :  while  d'Estaing 
and  Lincoln,  concealed  by  the  same  darkness,  drew  with  ad- 
vantage near  the  enemy's  lines  undiscovered.  Notwithstan- 
ding this  loss  of  concert  in  assault  by  the  two  columns  des- 
tined to  carry  the  enemy,  noble  and  determined  was  the  ad- 
vance. The  front  of  the  first  was  greatly  thinned  by  the  foe, 
sheltered  in  his  strong  and  safe  defences,  and  aided  by  batte- 
ries operating  not  only  in  front  but  in  flank. 

"  Regardless  of  the  fatal  fire  from  their  covered  enemy, 
this  unappalled  column,  led  by  Lincoln  and  d'Estaing,  forced 
the  abbatis  and  planted  their  standards  on  the  parapet.  All 
was  gone,  could  this  lodgment  have  been  sustained.  Mait- 
land's  comprehensive  eye  saw  the  menacing  blow  ;  and  his 
vigorous  mind  seized  the  means  of  warding  it  off.  He  drew 
from  the  disposable  force,  the  grenadiers  and  marines,  near- 
est to  the  point  gained.  This  united  corps  under  lieutenant 
colonel  Glazier  assumed  with  joy  the  arduous  task  to  recover 
the  lost  ground.  With  unimpaired  strength  it  fell  upon  the 
worried  head  of  the  victorious  column  ;  who,  though  piercing 
the  enemy  in  one  point,  had  not  spread  along  the  parapet ; 
and  the  besieged  bringing  up  superior  force,  victory  was  sup- 
pressed in  its  birth.  The  triumphant  standards  were  torn 
down ;  and  the  gallant  soldiers,  who  had  gone  so  far  towards 
the  goal  of  conquest,  were  tumbled  into  the  ditch  and  driven 
through  the  abbatis.  About  this  time  that  Maitland  was  pre- 
paring this  critical  movement,  count  Pulaski,  at  the  head  of 
two  hundred  horse,  threw  himself  upon  the  works  to  force 
his  way  into  the  enemy's  rear.  Receiving  a  mortal  wound, 
this  brave  officer  fell ;  and  his  fate  arrested  the  gallant  ef- 
fort which  might  have  changed  the  issue  of  the  day.  Re- 
pulsed in  every  point  of  attack,  the  allied  generals  drew  off 
their  troops.  The  retreat  was  effected  in  good  order ;  no  at- 
tempt to  convert  it  into  rout  being  made  by  the  British  gene- 
ral. Count  d'Estaing,  who,  with  general  Lincoln,  had  cour- 
ted danger  to  give  effect  to  the  assault,  was  wounded.  Cap- 
tain Tawes,  of  the  provincial  troops,  signalized  himself  by 
his  intrepidity  in  defending  the  redoubts  committed  to  his 
charge,  the  leading  points  of  our  assault.  He  fell  dead  at 
the  gate,  with  his  sword  plunged  into  the  body  of  the  third 
enemy,  whom  he  had  slain." 


392  PUTNAM. 

Pulaski  died  two  days  after  the  action,  and  congress  resol- 
Ted  that  a  monument  should  be  erected  to  his  memory. 

PUTNAM,  Israel,  a  major  general  in  the  army  of  the 
United  States,  was  born  at  Salem,  Massachusetts,  January 
7,  1718.  His  mind  was  vigorous,  but  it  was  never  cultivated 
by  education.  When  he  for  the  first  time  went  to  Boston,  he 
>vas  insulted  for  his  rusticity  by  a  boy  of  twice  his  size.  Af- 
ter bearing  his  sarcasms  until  his  good  nature  was  entirely 
exhausted,  he  attacked  and  vanquished  the  unmannerly  fel- 
low to  the  great  diversion  of  a  crowd  of  spectators.  In  run- 
ning, leaping,  and  wrestling,  he  almost  always  bore  away 
the  prize.  In  1739,  he  removed  to  Pomfret,  in  Connecticut* 
where  he  cultivated  a  considerable  tract  of  land.  He  had 
however  to  encounter  many  difficulties,  and  among  his  trou- 
bles, the  depredations  of  wolves  on  his  sheepfold  was  not  the 
least.  In  one  night  seventy  fine  sheep  and  goats  were  killed. 
A  she  wolf,  who,  with  her  annual  whelps  had  for  several 
years  infested  the  vicinity,  being  considered  as  the  principal 
cause  of  the  havoc,  Mr.  Putnam  entered  into  a  combination 
with  a  number  of  his  neighbours  to  hunt  alternately,  till  they 
should  destroy  her.  At  length  the  hounds  drove  her  into  her 
den,  and  a  number  of  persons  soon  collected  with  guns, 
straw,  fire,  and  sulphur,  to  attack  the  common  enemy.  But 
the  dogs  were  afraid  to  approach  her,  and  the  fumes  of  brim- 
stone could  not  force  her  from  the  cavern.  It  was  now  ten 
o'clock  at  night.  Mr.  Putnam  proposed  to  his  black  servant 
to  descend  into  the  cave,  and  shoot  the  wolf;  but,  as  the  ne- 
gro declined,  he  resolved  to  do  it  himself.  Having  divested 
himself  of  his  coat  and  w  aistcoat,  and  having  a  long  rope 
fastened  round  his  legs,  by  which  he  might  be  pulled  back  at 
a  concerted  signal,  he  entered  the  cavern,  head  foremost, 
with  a  blazing  torch,  made  of  strips  of  birch  bark,  in  his 
hand.  He  descended  fifteen  feet,  passed  along  horizontally 
ten  feet,  and  then  began  the  gradual  ascent,  which  is  sixteen 
feet  in  length.  He  slowly  proceeded  on  his  hands  and  knees, 
in  an  abode  which  was  silent  as  the  house  of  death.  Cau- 
tiously glancing  forwards,  he  discovered  the  glaring  eye- 
balls of  the  wolf,  who  started  at  the  sight  of  his  torch,  gnash- 
ed her  teeth,  and  gave  a  sullen  growl.  He  immediately  kick- 
ed the  rope,  and  was  drawn  out  with  a  friendly  celerity  and 
violence,  which  not  a  little  bruised  him.  Loading  his  gun 
with  nine  buckshot,  and  carrying  it  in  one  hand,  while  he 
held  the  torch  with  the  other,  he  descended  a  second  time. 
As  he  approached  the  wolf,  she  howled,  rolled  her  eyes,  snap- 
ped her  teeth,  dropped  her  head  between  her  legs,  and  was 
evidently  on  the  point  of  springing  at  him.  At  this  moment 
he  fired  at  her  head,  and  soon  found  himself  drawn  out  of  the 


PUTNAM.  393 

I  uve.  Having  refreshed  himself,  lie  again  descended,  and 
seizing  the  wolf  by  her  ears,  kicked  the  rope,  and  his,  com- 
panions above,  with  no  small  exultation,  dragged  them  both 
out  together. 

During  the  French  war  he  was  appointed  to  command  a 
company  of  the  first  troops  which  were  raised  in  Connecti- 
cut, in  1755.   He  rendered  much  service  to  the  army  in  the 
neighborhood  of  Crown  Point.    In  1756,  while  near  Ticon- 
deroga,  he  was  repeatedly  in  the  most  imminent  danger,  He 
escaped  in  an  adventure  of  one  night  with  twelve  bullet  holes 
in  his  blanket.    In  August  he  was  sent  out  with  several  hun- 
dred men  to  watch  the  motions  of  the  enemy.   Being  ambus- 
caded by  a  party  of  equal  numbers,  a  general,  but  irregular 
action  took  place.    Putnam  had  discharged  his  fusee  se\eral 
times,  but  at  length  it  missed  fire  while  its  muzzle  was  pre- 
sented to  the  breast  of  a  savage.  The  warrior  with  his  lifted 
hatchet  and  a  tremendous  war-whoop  compelled  him  to  sur- 
render, and  then  bound  him  to  a  tree.   In  the  course  of  the  ac- 
tion the  parties  changed  their  position,  so  as  to  bring  this 
tree  directly  between  them.    The  balls  flew  by  him  inces- 
santly ;  many  struck  the  tree,  and  some  passed  through  his 
clothes.    The  enemy  now  gained  possession  of  the  ground, 
but  being  afterwards  driven  from  the  field,  they  carried  their 
prisoners  with  them.    At  night  he  was  stripped,  and  a  fire 
was  kindled  to  roast  him  alive.   For  this  purpose  they  led 
him  into  a  dark  forest,  stripped  him  naked,  bound  him  to  a 
tree,  and  piled  dry  brush,  with  other  fuel,  at  a  small  dis- 
tance, in  a  circle  round  him.    They  accompanied  their  la- 
bors, as  if  for  his  funeral  dirge,  with  screams  and  sounds, 
inimitable  but  by  savage  voices.   Then  they  set  the  piles  on 
fire.    A  sudden  shower  damped  the  rising  flame.    Still   they 
strove  to  kindle  it ;  at  last  the  blaze  ran  fiercely  round  the 
circle.   Major  Putnam  soon  began  to  feel  the  scorching  heat. 
His  hands  were  so  tied  that  he  could  move  his  body.  He  often 
shifted  sides  as  the  fire  approached.    This  sight,  at  the  very 
idea  of  which,  all  but  savages  must  shudder,   afforded  the 
highest  diversion  to  his  inhuman  tormentors,  who  demon- 
strated the  delirium  of  their  joy  by  correspondent  yells,  dan- 
ces, and   gesticulations.   He  saw  clearly  that  his  final  hour 
was  inevitably  come,    He  summoned  all  his  resolution,  and 
composed  his  mind,  so  far  as  the  circumstances  could   admit, 
to  bid  an  eternal  farewell  to  all  he  held  most  dear.   To  quit 
the  world  would  scarcely  have  cost  a  single  pang  :  but  for 
the  idea  of  home,  but  for  the  remembrance  of  domestic  en- 
dearments, of  the  affectionate  partner  of  his  sonl,  and  of  their 
beloved  offspring.     His  thought  was  ultimately  fixed  on  a 
happier  state  of  existence,  beyond  the  tortures  he  was  begin  - 

50 


394  PUTNAM. 

ning  to  endure.  The  bitterness  of  death,  even  of  that  death 
which  is  accompanied  with  the  keenest  agonies,  was,  in  a 
manner,  past :  nature,  with  a  feeble  struggle,  was  quitting 
its  last  hold  on  sublunary  things,  when  a  French  officer  rush- 
ed through  the  crowd,  opened  a  way  by  scattering  the  burn- 
ing brands,  and  unbound  the  victim.  It  was  Molang  himself, 
to  whom  a  savage,  unwilling  to  see  another  human  victim 
immolated,  had  run  and  communicated  the  tidings.  That 
commandant  spurned  and  severely  reprimanded  the  barba- 
rians, whose  nocturnal  powwas  and  hellish  orgies  he  sud- 
denly ended.  Putnam  did  not  want  for  feeling  or  gratitude. 
The  French  commander,  fearing  to  trust  him  alone  with 
them,  remained  till  he  could  safely  deliver  him  into  the  hands 
of  his  master. 

The  savage  approached  his  prisoner  kindly,  and  seemed  to 
treat  him  with  particular  affection.  He  offered  him  some 
hard  biscuit;  but  finding  that  he  could  not  chew  them,  on  ac- 
count of  the  blow  he  had  received  from  the  Frenchman,  this 
more  humane  savage  soaked  some  of  the  bisruit  in  water,  and 
made  him  suck  the  pulp-like  part.  Determined,  however,  not 
to  lose  his  captive,  the  refreshment  being  finished,  he  took 
the  moccasons  from  his  feet,  and  tied  them  to  one  of  his 
wrists ;  then  directing  him  to  lie  down  on  his  bark  on  the 
bare  ground,  he  stretched  one  arm  to  its  full  length,  and 
bound  it  fast  to  a  young  tree  ;  the  other  arm  was  extended 
and  bound  in  the  same  manner  :  his  legs  were  stretched  apart, 
and  fastened  to  two  sapplings.  Then  a  number  of  tall,  but 
slender  poles  were  cut  down,  which,  with  some  long  bushes, 
were  laid  across  his  body  from  head  to  foot  :  on  each  side  lay 
as  many  Indians  as  could  conveniently  find  lodging,  in  order 
to  prevent  the  possibility  of  his  escape.  In  this  disagreeable 
and  painful  posture  he  remained  till  morning.  During  the 
night,  the  longest  and  most  dreary  conceivable,  our  hero  used 
to  relate  that  he  felt  a  ray  of  cheerfulness  come  casually 
across  his  mind,  and  could  not  e\en  refrain  from  smiling 
when  he  reflected  on  this  ludicrous  group  for  a  painter,  of 
which  he  himself  was  the  principal  figure. 

The  next  day  he  was  allowed  his  blanket  and  moccasons, 
and  permitted  to  march  without  carrying  any  pack,  or  re- 
ceiving any  insult.  To  allay  his  extreme  hunger,  a  little 
bear's  meat  was  given,  which  he  sucked  through  his  teeth. 
At  night  the  party  arrived  at  Ticonderoga,  and  the  prisoner 
was  placed  under  the  care  of  a  French  guard. 

The  savages,  who  had  been  prevented  from  glutting  their 
diabolical  thirst  for  blood,  took  this  opportunity  of  manifest- 
ing their  malevolence  for  the  disappointment,  by  horrid  gri- 
maces and  angry  gestures ;  but  they  were  suffered  no  more 
to  offer  violence  or  personal  indignity  to  him. 


PUTNAM.  595 

After  having  been  examined  by  tbe  Marquis  de  Montcalm, 
Major  Putnam  was  conducted  to  Montreal  by  a  French  offi- 
cer, who  treated  him  with  tiic  greatest  indulgence  and  hu- 
manity. 

At  this  place  were  several  prisoners.  Colonel  Peter  Schuy- 
ler, remarkable  for  his  philanthropy,  generosity,  and  friend- 
ship, was  of  tbe  number.  No  sooner  bad  be  heard  of  Major 
Putnam's  arrival,  tban  be  went  to  the  interpreter's  quarters, 
and  inquired  whether  be  bad  a  Provincial  major  in  his  cus- 
tody. He  found  Major  Putnam  in  a  comfortless  condition, 
without  coat,  waistcoat,  or  bose  ;  tbe  remnant  of  bis  clothing 
miserably  dirty  and  ragged,  his  beard  long  and  squalid,  his 
legs  torn  by  thorns  and  briers,  his  face  gashed  with  wounds, 
and  swollen  with  bruises.  Colonel  Schuyler,  irritated  beyond 
all  sufferance  at  such  a  sight,  could  scarcely  restrain  his 
speech  within  limits  consistent  with  tbe  prudence  of  a  priso- 
ner, and  tbe  meekness  of  a  Christian.  Major  Putnam  was 
immediately  treated  according  to  his  rank,  clothed  in  a  de- 
cent manner,  and  supplied  with  money  by  this  liberal  and 
sympathetic  patron  of  the  distressed ;  and  by  his  assistance 
he  was  soon  after  exchanged. 

When  general  Amherst  was  marching  across  the  country 
to  Canada,  the  army  coming  to  one  of  the  lakes,  which  they 
were  obliged  to  pass,  found  the  French  had  an  armed  vessel 
of  twelve  guns  upon  it.  He  was  in  great  distress,  his  boats 
were  no  match  for  her ;  and  she  alone  was  capable  of  sinking 
his  whole  army  in  that  situation.  While  he  was  pondering 
what  should  be  done,  Putnam  comes  to  him,  and  says,  "Gen- 
eral, that  ship  must  be  taken."  "  Aye,"  says  Amherst,  "I 
would  give  the  world  she  was  taken."  "  I'll  take  her,"  says 
Putnam.  Amherst  smiled,  and  asked  how?  "Give  me  some 
wedges,  a  beetle,  (a  large  wooden  hammer,  or  maul,  used 
for  driving  wedges,)  and  a  few  men  of  my  own  choice."  Am- 
herst could  not  conceive  how  an  armed  vessel  was  to  be  taken 
by  four  or  five  men,  a  beetle  and  wedges.  However,  he  gran- 
ted Putnam's  request.  When  night  came,  Putnam,  with  his 
materials  and  men,  went  in  a  boat  under  tbe  vessel's  stern, 
and  in  an  instant  drove  in  the  wedges  between  the  rudder 
and  ship,  and  left  her.  In  the  morning,  the  sails  were  seen 
fluttering  about:  she  was  adrift  in  the  middle  of  the  lake  ;  and 
being  presently  blown  ashore,  was  easily  taken. 

At  the  commencement  of  hostilities  between  tbe  colonies 
and  the  mother  country,  Colonel  Putnam,  on  hearing  of  the 
battle  at  Lexington,  left  bis  plough  in  the  middle  of  the  field, 
and  without  changing  bis  clothes,  repaired  to  Cambridge, 
riding  in  a  single  day  one  hundred  miles.  He  was  soon  ap- 
pointed a  major  general  in  the  provincial  army,  and  return- 


s9o  PUTNAM, 

ing  to  Connecticut,  he  made  no  delay  in  bringing  on  a  bodv 
of  troops. 

Among  other  examples  of  patriotism  that  might  be  related, 
the  following  is  from  a  living  witness.  The  day  that  the  re- 
port of  the  battle  of  Lexington  reached  Barnstable,  a  com- 
pany of  militia  immediately  assembled  and  marched  off  to 
Cambridge.  In  the  front  rank  there  was  a  young  man,  the 
son  of  a  respectable  farmer,  and  his  only  child.  In  marching 
from  the  village,  as  they  passed  his  house,  he  came  out  to 
meet  them.  There  was  a  momentary  halt.  The  drum  and 
fifi  paused  for  an  instant.  The  father,  suppressing  a  strong 
and  evident  emotion,  said,  "  God  be  with  you  all.  my  friends! 
and  John,  if  you,  my  son,  are  called  into  battle,  take  care 
that  you  behave  like  a  man,  or  else  let  me  never  see  your  face 
again!"  A  tear  started  into  every  eye,  and  the  march  was 
resumed. 

Not  long  after  his  appointment,  the  commander  of  the  Bri- 
tish army,  unwilling  that  so  valuable  an  officer  should  act  in 
opposition,  privately  conveyed  to  him  a  proposal  that  if  he 
would  quit  the  rebel  party,  he  might  rely  on  being  made  a 
major  general  in  the  British  establishment,  and  receiving  a 
great  pecuniary  compensation  for  his  services  ;  but  he  spurn- 
ed the  offer.  On  the  16th  of  June,  1775,  it  was  determined 
in  a  council  of  war,  at  which  General  Putnam  assisted,  that 
a  fortified  post  should  be  established  at  or  near  Bunker  hill. 
General  Putnam  marched  with  the  first  detachment,  and  com- 
menced the  work  :  he  was  the  principal  agent  or  engineer 
who  traced  the  lines  of  the  redoubt,  and  he  continued  most  if 
not  all  the  night  with  the  workmen  ;  at  any  rate  he  was  on 
the  spot  before  sun-rising  in  the  morning,  and  had  taken  his 
station  on  the  top  of  Bunker  hill,  and  participated  in  ihc 
danger,  as  well  as  the  glory  of  that  day. 

When  the  army  was  organized  by  general  Washington  at 
Cambridge,  general  Putnam  was  appointed  to  command  the 
reserve.  In  August,  1776,  he  war- stationed  at  Brooklyn,  on 
Long  Island.  After  the  defeat  of  our  army,  on  the  27th  of 
that  month,  he  went  to  New  York,  and  was  very  serviceable 
in  the  city  and  neighborhood.  In  October  or  November,  he 
was  sent*  to  Philadelphia  to  fortify  that  city.  In  January, 
1777,  he  was  directed  to  take  post  at  Princeton,  where  he 
continued  until  spring.  At  this  place,  a  sick  prisoner,  a  cap- 
tain, requested  that  a  friend  in  the  British  army  at  Bruns- 
wick, might  be  sent  for,  to  assist  him  in  making  his  will. 
Putnam  was  perplexed.  He  had  but  fifty  men  under  his  com- 
mand, and  did  not  wish  to  have  his  weakness  known  ;  but 
yet  he  was  unwilling  to  deny  the  request.  He,  however, 
sent  a  flag  of  truce,  and  directed  the  officer  to  be  brought  in 
the  night.     In  the  evening,  lights  were  placed  in  all  the  col- 


PUTNAM.  Stt 

icge  windows,  and  in  every  apartment  of  the  vacant  houses 
throughout  the  town.  The  officer,  on  his  return,  reported 
that  general  Putnam's  army,  could  not  consist  of  less  than 
four  or  five-thousand  men.  In  the  spring,  he  was  appointed 
to  the  command  of  a  separate  army,  in  the  highlands  of  New 
Yoi'k.  One  Palmer,  a  lieutenant  in  the  tory  new  levies,  was 
detected  in  the  camp :  governor  Tyron  reclaimed  him  as  a 
British  officer,  threatening  vengeance  if  he  was  not  restored. 
General  Putnam  wrote  the  following  pithy  reply. 

"  Sir — Nathan  Palmer,  a  lieutenant  in  your  king's  ser- 
vice was  taken  in  my  camp  as  a  spy  :  lie  was  tried  as  a  spy ; 
he  was  condemned  as  a  spy  ;  and  he  shall  be  hanged  as  a  spy. 

«  ISRAEL  PUTNAM." 

"P.  S.  Afternoon.     He  is  hanged." 

After  the  loss  of  fort  Montgomery,  the  commander  in  chief 
determined  to  build  another  fortification,  and  he  directed  ge- 
neral Putnam  to  fix  on  a  spot.  To  him  belongs  the  praise  of 
having  chosen  West  Point.  The  campaign  of  1779,  which 
was  principally  spent  in  strengthening  the  works  at  this  place, 
finished  the  military  career  of  Putnam.  A  paralytic  affec- 
tion impaired  the  activity  of  his  body,  and  he  passed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days  in  retirement,  retaining  his  relish  for  en- 
joyment, his  love  of  pleasantry,  his  strength  of  memory,  and 
all  the  faculties  of  his  mind. 

He  died  at  Brookiine,  Connecticut,  May  29,  1790,  aged 
seventy  two  years. 

PUTNAM,  Rufus,  was  born  in  Sutton,  in  the  state  of 
Massachusetts.  At  the  age  of  sixteen,  he  entered  what  is  called 
the  old  French  war,  in  1756.  In  our  revolutionary  struggle, 
he  took  an  active  and  decided  part.  He  commanded  a  regi- 
ment at  the  commencement  of  hostilities,  and  performed  the 
part  of  an  engineer  during  the  greater  part  of  the  war.  To- 
wards its  close,  he  was  appointed  a  brigadier-general  by  bre- 
vet. In  17S6 — 7,  he  was  engaged  in  organizing  the  Ohio 
Company  for  the  purpose  of  purchasing  and  settling  lands  in 
the  Northwest  Territory.  On  the  7th  of  April.  1788.  he,  in 
company  with  about  forty  others,  commenced  the  first  perma- 
ment  settlement  in  the  territory,  a  part  of  which  now  com- 
prises the  state  of  Ohio.  They  located  themselves  at  the 
mcuth  of  the  Muskingum  river,  and  called  their  village  Ma- 
rietta. From  so  small  a  beginning  he  lived  to  see  a  flourish- 
ing State,  composed  of  nearly  seventy  counties,  and  a  popu- 
lation of  seven  hundred  thousand  inhabitants.  So  rapid  a 
progress  in  population,  is  without  parallel  in  the  United 
States.  In  1789,  President  Washington  appointed  him  a 
Judge  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  Northwestern  Territory, 
and,  in  1791,  he  was  appointed  a  Brigadier  General  in  the 


S9S  RAMSAY. 

army  of  the  United  States  under  General  Wayne.  In  1795, 
he  was  appointed  Surveyor  General  of  the  United  States, 
which  office  he  held  during  a  part  of  the  presidency  of  Gene- 
ral Washington,  all  of  Mr.  Adams's,  and  several  years  un- 
der President  Jefferson. 

He  died  at  Marietta,  Ohio,  on  the  4th  of  May,  1824,  aged 
eighty  six  years.  His  soul  was  pure  and  unsullied  ;  a  chris- 
tian that  carried  the  mantle  of  charity  ;  liberal,  generous,  and 
hospitable  ;  with  a  large  share  of  philanthropy.  In  a  word, 
he  was  an  honour  to  human  nature. 

RAMSAY,  David,  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, and  graduated  at  Princeton  college,  New  Jersey, 
in  the  seventeenth  year  of  his  age.  He  studied  physic  under 
Dr.  Thomas  Bond,  of  Philadelphia,  and  was  the  fifth  who 
obtained  the  degree  of  M.  D.  from  the  Philadelphia  medical 
school,  the  only  institution  of  the  kind  then  in  America.  He 
commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  in  Cecil  county,  Mary- 
land ;  but  in  a  short  time  removed  to  Charleston,  South  Ca- 
rolina, where  he  continued  in  practice  until  his  death.  Du- 
ring tlie  revolutionary  war,  he  espoused,  with  ardor  and  abi- 
lity, the  cause  of  his  country  ;  and  when  Charleston  fell  in- 
to the  hands  of  the  enemy,  he  was  with  many  other  distin- 
guished patriots,  transported  to  St.  Augustine,  where  lie  suf- 
fered a  long  and  rigorous  imprisonment,  during  which  he 
employed  himself  in  historical  researches  and  writings.  In 
1782,  '83,  '85,  and  *86,  he  represented  South  Carolina  in  the 
Congress  of  the  United  States  ;  and  for  the  last  six  months  of 
that  period  filled  the  Presidential  chair,  in  the  absence  of 
John  Hancock.  He  represented  the  city  of  Charleston  in  the 
state  legislature,  for  twenty  one  successive  years,  for  the  last 
seven  of  which  he  was  President  of  the  senate  of  that  state. 
To  good  natural  abilities,  and  a  liberal  education,  he  added 
close  application  to  public  business  and  private  studies;  and 
the  opportunities  which  his  legislative  stations  gave  him, 
were  diligently  improved  in  the  collection  of  official  and  au- 
thentic materials  for  the  various  historical  works  which  he 
was  engaged  in.  The  principal  of  these,  were  his  Universal 
History  Americanised  ;  History  of  America,  in  three  vo- 
lumes ;  History  of  the  Revolution,  in  two  volumes  ;  and  His- 
tory of  South  Carolina,  in  two  volumes.  Besides  these,  he 
published  many  orations  and  essays  on  medical  and  political 
subjects  ;  and  an  Historic  and  Biographic  Chart  of  the  Uni- 
ted States.  As  an  historian  and  physician,  he  deservedly 
ranks  high  ;  and  as  a  patriot  and  christian,  he  was  revered 
and  esteemed.  He  was  cut  off  in  the  midst  of  his  honours 
and  usefulness,  by  a  man  whose  insanity  he  was  called  to  bear 
testimony  to  as  a  physician  in  a  court  of  justice ;  and  who, 


RANDOLPH.  399 

\n  revenge,  assassinated  him  in  the  street  soon  after.  He  lin- 
gered a  few  days,  and  died  on  the  6th  of  May,  1815. 
3  RANDOLPH,  Peyton,  first  President  of  Congress,  de- 
scended from  one  of  the  most  ancient  and  respectable  fami- 
lies in  Virginia,  of  which  colony  he  was  attorney  general,  as 
early  as  1748.  In  1756,  he  formed  a  company  of  a  hundred 
gentlemen,  who  engaged  as  volunteers  against  the  Indians. 
He  commanded  a  company  in  the  regiment  commanded  by  Co- 
lonel Washington.  In  1764,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the 
house  of  burgesses.  In  1766,  having  resigned  the  office  of  at- 
torney general,  he  was  chosen  speaker  of  the  assembly,  to 
the  great  satisfaction  of  all  classes  of  his  fellow  citizens.  In 
1769,  a  new  assembly  was  convened  by  Lord  Botetourt,  who 
had  lately  arrived  as  governor.  This  assembly  proceeded  to 
the  immediate  consideration  of  a  new  grievance  which  was 
about  to  fall  on  the  colonies.  This  was  the  threatened  trans- 
portation to  England,  for  trial,  of  all  persons  who  might  be 
charged  with  treason  in  the  province  of  Massachusetts  ;  a 
measure  which  had  passed  both  houses  of  parliament.  The 
assembly  of  Virginia  added  a  decided  protest  to  the  measure, 
and  a  copy  of  their  resolutions  was  ordered  to  be  sent  to  the 
colonial  assemblies  throughout  the  continent,  with  a  request 
that  they  would  concur  therein.  The  assembly  being  sudden- 
ly dissolved  by  the  governor,  the  members  convened  at  a  pri- 
vate house,  where,  having  chosen  Mr.  Randolph  as  Modera- 
tor, they  entered  into  a  non-importation  agreement,  the  arti- 
cles of  which  were  signed  by  every  one  present ;  among 
whom  were  Peyton  Randolph,  George  Washington,  Thomas 
Jefferson,  Patrick  Henry,  R.  C.  Nicholas,  and  many  others, 
second  to  those  only  in  the  remembrance  of  their  country. 

Intelligence  of  the  act  of  parliament,  shutting  up  the  port 
of  Boston,  reached  Williamsburg  on  the  26th  of  May.  The 
house  of  burgesses,  then  in  session,  instantly  resolved,  that 
the  first  of  June,  the  day  on  which  the  act  was  to  go  into 
operation,  should  be  set  apart  as  a  day  of  fasting,  humilia- 
tion, and  prayer;  that  the  divine  interposition  might  then  be 
implored,  either  to  avert  the  threatening  evils  of  civil  war, 
or  to  give  to  the  people  energy  and  union,  to  meet  them  with 
spirit  and  effect.  In  the  midst  of  further  animated  debate, 
the  assembly  was  abruptly  dissolved  by  Lord  Dunmore.  But 
the  members,  soon  after,  met  as  private  citizens,  and,  their 
late  speaker,  Mr.  Randolph, presiding,  they  unanimously  sign- 
ed an  address  to  their  countrymen ;  in  which,  after  recom- 
mending to  them  to  abstain  from  the  purchase  or  use  of  East 
India  commodities,  they  declare,  that  the  late  attack  on  the 
rights  of  a  sister  colony,  menaced  ruin  to  the  rights  of  all,. 
unless  the  united  wisdom  of  the  whole  should  be  applied;  and 


400  RANDOLPH. 

the  committee  of  correspondence,  of  which  Mr.  Randolph  was 
chairman,  were  therefore  instructed  to  communicate  with  the 
other  colonies  on  the  expediency  of  calling  a  general  congress 
of  delegates,  to  meet  annually,  for  the  purpose  of  deliberating 
on  those  general  measures,  which  the  united  interests  of  Amer- 
ica might  from  time  to  time  require.  It  may  be  necessary  to 
remark,  that  the  meeting  of  the  first  congress  at  Philadelphia, 
in  the  September  following,  was  a  consequence  of  this  recom- 
mendation. 

On  the  first  day  of  August,  the  convention  of  deputies  elec- 
ted by  the  several  counties  of  Virginia,  assembled  at  Wil- 
liamsburg, and  Peyton  Randolph  was  chosen  their  chairman. 
The  first  act  of  this  body  was  a  declaration  of  the  necessity 
of  a  general  congress,  in  order  that  redress  might  be  procu- 
red for  the  much  injured  province  of  Massachusetts,  and  that 
the  other  provinces  might  be  secured  from  the  ravage  and 
ruin  of  arbitrary  taxes.  In  pursuance  of  this  declaration,  on 
the  fifth  of  the  same  month,  they  chose  seven  of  their  most 
distinguished  members,  to  represent  the  colony  in  general 
congress  ;  among  these  were  Peyton  Randolph,  George 
Washington,  Edmund  Pendleton,  Richard  Henry  Lee,  and 
Patrick  Henry.  The  convention,  however,  did  not  dissolve 
itself,  until  it  had  entered  into  a  solemn  agreement,  which  it 
also  recommended  to  the  people,  not  to  import  British  mer- 
chandize or  manufactures,  nor  to  import  nor  even  use  the 
article  of  tea  ;  and  in  case  the  American  grievances  were  not 
redressed  before  the  tenth  of  the  next  August,  to  cease  the 
exportation  of  tabacco,  or  any  other  article  whatever  to 
Great  Britain. 

On  the  meeting  of  the  first  general  congress  at  Philadel- 
phia, on  the  fifth  day  of  September,  1774,  Peyton  Randolph 
was  called,  by  the  united  voice  of  the  members,  to  preside 
over  their  deliberations.  The  character  and  proceedings  of 
that  august  and  enlightened  assembly  are  so  well  known  to 
the  world,  that  to  dwell  upon  them  here  would  be  superfluous. 
It  may  be  permitted,  however,  to  mention  a  remarkable  oc- 
currence which  took  place  on  the  opening  of  congress,  re- 
garding as  it  docs,  a  personage,  respecting  whom  e\en  tri- 
fles become  interesting.  It  is  related,  on  the  authority  of  the 
venerable  Charles  Thompson,  that,  upon  the  house  being 
summoned  to  prayers,  and  their  chaplain  having  commenced 
the  service,  it  was  perceived,  that  of  all  the  members  present, 
George  Washington  was  the  only  one  who  was  upon  his 
knees.  A  striking  circumstance,  certainly,  and  adding  ano- 
ther trait  to  the  character  of  a  man,  who  seemed  destined  to 
be,  in  every  situation  distinguished  from  his  fellow  mortals. 

The  severe  indisposition  of  Mr.  Randolph  obliged  him  tore 


RANDOLPH.  401 

tire  from  the  chair  on  the  22d  October  of  this  year,  and  he 
was  succeeded  by  the  honourable  Henry  Middleton  as  presi- 
dent of  congress.  But  his  country  was  not  yet  to  be  deprived 
of  his  valuable  services;  on  the  20th  of  March  1775,  he  ap- 
peared as  president  of  the  convention  of  deputies,  convened  at 
the  town  of  Richmond,  and  was  again  elected  a  delegate  to 
the  general  congress  which  was  to  be  held  at  Philadelphia, 
on  the  10th  of  the  following  May.  But,  before  he  left  Vir- 
ginia a  second  time,  he  had  more  than  one  occasion  of  display- 
ing the  uncommon  moderation  of  his  character.  About  the 
middle  of  April,  the  conduct  of  lord  Dunmore,  in  clandestine- 
ly removing  on  board  a  ship  of  war,  the  powder  of  the  city, 
together  with  his  violent  menaces  against  Williamsburg,  had 
necessarily  excited  the  resentment  of  the  people ;  they  were 
even  upon  the  point  of  entering  his  house  in  an  armed  body  ; 
and  nothing,  probably,  but  the  timely  interference  of  their 
venerated  townsman,  Randolph,  would  have  saved  the  gover- 
nor from  their  violence.  A  considerable  number  of  the  inha- 
bitants of  the  upper  country  had  also  risen  in  arms.  They 
assembled  at  Fredericksburg,  and  had  just  come  to  a  deci- 
sion to  march  towards  Williamsburg,  when  Mr.  Randolph 
arrived  there  on  his  way  to  Philadelphia.  His  advice,  joined 
by  that  of  his  friend  Edmund  Pendleton,  had  its  usual  influ- 
ence, and  the  volunteer  companies,  generally,  returned  ta 
their  several  homes.  There  was,  however,  a  remarkable  ex- 
ception to  this  acquiescence  :  a  small  force,  commanded  by 
the  warm  and  enthusiastic  Patrick  Henry,  actually  proceed- 
ed to  within  a  few  miles  of  Williamsburg  ;  where  their  lead- 
er, before  he  would  disband  his  troops,  obtained,  from  the 
king's  receiver  general,  a  bill  for  the  value  of  the  powder  in 
question. 

A  few  days  after  the  meeting  of  Congress,  in  May  1775,  oil 
the  arrival  in  America  of  what  was  called  Lord  North's  con- 
ciliatory proposition,  Mr.  Randolph  again  quitted  the  chair 
of  congress,  and  repaired  to  Williamsburg,  where  Lord  Dun- 
more  had  summoned  the  house  of  burgesses  to  assemble  on 
the  first  of  June,  in  order  that  he  might  lay  "before  them  the 
proposition  of  the  British  minister.  Mr.  Randolph  resumed 
his  situation  as  speaker  of  the  house,  and.  when  the  answer 
to  Lord  North  was  to  be  given,  anxious  that  its  tone  and  spi- 
rit should  be  sucli  as  to  have  an  effect  upon  those  of  the  other 
colonies  that  would  follow,  and  meet  the  feelings  of  the  body 
he  had  left,  he  requested  the  aid  of  a  younger  and  more  ar- 
dent pen ;  and  it  is  to  the  vigorous  conception  of  Jefferson 
that  we  owe  that  bold  and  masterly  production.  The  opposi- 
tion to  it  was  but  feeble,  and  Mr.  Randolph  steadily  supported 
and  carried  it  through  the  house,  with  a  few  softenings  only, 

51 


402  RANDOLPH. 

"which  it  received,  in  its  course,  from  the  more  timid  mem- 
bers. 

After  the  adjournment  of  the  house  of  burgesses,  he  re» 
turned  to  the  congress,  which  was  still  sitting  at  Philadel- 
phia. It  was  generally  expected  that  Mr.  Hancock,  who  had 
succeeded  him  as  President,  would  have  resigned  the  chair 
on  his  return.  Mr.  Randolph,  however,  took  his  seat  as  a 
member,  and  entered  readily  into  all  the  momentous  pro- 
ceedings of  that  hody.  But  he  was  not  destined  to  witness 
the  independence  of  the  country  he  had  loved  and  served  so 
faithfully.  A  stroke  of  apoplexy  deprived  him  of  life  on  the 
twenty  first  of  October  1775,  at  the  age  of  fifty  two  years. 
He  had  accepted  an  invitation  to  dine  with  other  company 
near  Philadelphia.  He  fell  from  his  seat,  and  immediately 
expired.    His  corpse  was  taken  to  Virginia  for  interment. 

Peyton  Randolph  was,  indeed,  a  most  excellent  man,  and 
no  one  was  ever  more  beloved  and  respected  by  his  friends. 
In  manner,  he  was,  perhaps,  somewhat  cold  and  reserved  to- 
wards strangers,  but  of  the  sweetest  affability  when  ripened, 
into  acquaintance ;  of  attic  pleasantry  in  conversation,  and 
always  good  humoured  and  conciliatory.  He  Mas  liberal  in 
his  expences,  but  so  strictly  correct  also,  that  he  never  found 
himself  involved  in  pecuniary  embarrassment.  His  heart  was 
always  open  t-3  the  amiable  sensibilities  of  our  nature  ;  and 
he  performed  as  many  good  acts  as  could  have  been  done 
with  his  fortune,  without  injuriously  impairing  his  means  of 
continuing  them. 

As  a  lawyer,  he  was  well  read,  and  possessed  a  strong  and 
logical  mind.  His  opinions  were  highly  regarded.  They 
presented  always  a  learned  and  sound  view  of  the  subject, 
but  generally,  too,  betraying  an  unwillingness  to  go  into  its 
thorough  developement.  For,  being  heavy  and  inert  in  body, 
he  was  rather  too  indolent  and  careless  for  business,  which 
occasioned  him  to  have  a  smaller  portion  of  it  than  his  abili- 
ties would  have  otherwise  commanded.  Indeed,  after  his  ap- 
pointment as  attorney  general,  he  did  not  seem  to  court,  nor 
scarcely  to  welcome  business.  It  ought,  however,  to  be  said 
of  him  to  his  honour,  that  in  the  discharge  of  that  office  he 
considered  himself  equally  charged  with  the  rights  of  the  co- 
lony as  with  those  of  the  crown  :  and  that,  in  criminal  pro- 
secutions, exaggerating  nothing,  he  aimed  only  to  arrive  at 
a  candid  and  just  state  of  the  transaction,  believing  it  more 
a  duty  to  save  an  innocent,  than  to  convict  a  guilty,  man. 

As  a  politician  he  was  firm  in  his  principles,  and  steady  in 
his  opposition  to  foreign  usurpation ;  but,  with  the  other 
older  members  of  the  assembly,  generally  yielding  the  lead 
to  the  younger ;  contenting  himself  with  tempering  their  ex- 


REED.  40S 

Irene  ardour,  and  so  far  moderating  their  pace,  as  to  prevent 
rheii*  going  too  much  in  advance  of  public  sentiment.  He 
presided  in  the  house  of  burgesses,  and  subsequently,  in  the 
general  congress,  with  uncommon  dignity  ;  and,  although 
not  eloquent,  yet  when  he  spoke,  his  mutter  was  so  substan- 
tial, that  no  man  commanded  more  attention.  This,  joined 
with  the  universal  knowledge  of  his  worth,  gave  him  a  weight 
in  the  assembly  of  Virginia,  which  few  ever  attained. 

He  left  no  issue,  and  his  fortune  was  bequeathed  to  his  wi- 
dow, and  his  nephew,  the  late  Edmund  Randolph. 

REED,  Joseph,  President  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania, 
born  in  the  state  of  Nev- Jersey,  the  27th  of  August,  A,  D. 
1741.    In  the  year  1757,  at  the  early  age  of  sixteen,  he  grad- 
uated with  considerable  honour,  at  Princeton  college.     Hav- 
ing studied  the  law  with  Richard  Stockton,  Esquire,  an  emi- 
nent counsellor  of  that  place,  he  visited  England  and  pursu- 
ed his  studies  in  the  temple,  until  the  disturbances  which  first 
broke  out  in  the  colonies  on  the  passage  of  the  stamp  act.  Ou 
his  return  to  his  native  country,  he  commenced  the  practice 
of  the  law.  and  bor?  a  distinguished  part  in  the  political  com- 
motions of  the  day.     Having  married  the  daughter  of  Dennis 
De  Berdt,  an  eminent  merchant  of  London,  and  before  the 
American  revolution,  agent  for  the  province  of  Massachu- 
setts, he  soon  after  returned  to  America  and  practised  the  law 
with  eminent  success  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia.     Finding 
that  reconciliation  with  the  mother  country  was  not  to  he  ac- 
complished without  the  sacrifice  of  honour  as  well  as  liberty, 
he  became  one  of  the  most  zealous  advocates  of  independence. 
In  1774,  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  committee  of  corres- 
pondence of  Philadelphia,  and  afterwards   president  of  the 
convention,  and,  subsequently,    member  of  the  continental 
congress.    On  the  formation  of  the  army  he  resigned  a  lucra- 
tive practice,  which  he  was  enjoying  at  Philadelphia,  and  re- 
paired to  the  camp  at  Cambridge,   where  he  was  appointed 
aid-de-camp  and  secretary  to  General  Washington  ;  and  al- 
though merely  acting  as  a  volunteer,  he  displayed  in  this 
campaign,  on  many  occasions,  the  greatest  courage  and  mili- 
tary ability.   At  the  opening  of  the  campaign  in  1776,  on  the 
promotion  of  General  Gates,  he  was  advanced,  at  the  special 
recommendation  of  General  Washington,  to  the  post  of  ad- 
jutant-general, and  bore  an  active  part  in  this  campaign,  his 
local  knowledge  of  the  country  being  eminently  useful  in  the 
affair  at  Trenton,  and  at  the  battle  of  Princeton  :  in  the  course 
of  these  events,  and  the  constant  follower  of  his  fortunes,  he 
enjoyed  the  confidence  and  esteem  of  the  commander  in  chief, 
At  the  end  of  the  year  he  resigned  the  office  of  adjutant-gene- 
ral, and  was  immediately  appointed  a  geueral  officer,  irith  a 


404  REED. 

view  to  tlic  command  of  cavalry  ;  but  owing  to  the  difficulty 
of  raising  troops,  and  the  very  detached  parties  in  which  they 
were  employed,  he  was  prevented  from  acting  in  that  station. 
He  still  attended  the  army,  and  from  the  entrance  of  the  Bri- 
tish army  into  Pennsylvania,  till  the  close  of  the  campaign  in 
1777,  he  was  seldom  absent.  He  was  engaged  at  the  battle 
of  Gcrmantown,  and  at  White  Marsh  assisted  general  Pottcp 
in  drawing  up  the  militia.  In  1778,  he  was  appointed  a  mem- 
ber of  Congress,  and  signed  the  articles  of  confederation. 
About  this  time  the  British  commissioners,  governor  John- 
stone, lord  Carlisle,  and  Mr.  Eden,  invested  with  power  to 
treat  of  peace,  arrived  in  America-  and  governor  Johnstone, 
the  principal  of  them,  addressed  private  letters  to  Henry 
Laurens,  Joseph  Reed,  Francis  Dana,  and  Robert  Morris, 
offering  them  many  advantages  in  case  they  would  lend 
themselves  to  his  views.  Private  information  was  communi- 
cated from  governor  Johnstone  to  general  Reed,  that  in  case 
lie  would  exert  his  abilities  to  promote  a  reconciliation,  ten 
thousand  pounds  sterlitig,  and  the  most  valuable  office  in  the 
colonies,  were  at  his  disposal;  to  which  Mr.  Reed  made  this 
memorable  reply  :  "  that  he  ivas  not  worth  purchasing  ;  but 
that,  such  as  he  was,  the  king  of  Great  Britain  was  not  rich 
enough  to  do  it."  These  transactions  caused  a  resolution  in 
congress,  by  which  they  refused  to  hold  any  further  commu- 
nication with  that  commissioner.  Governor  Johnstone,  on 
bis  return  to  England,  denied,  in  parliament,  ever  having 
made  such  offers  ;  in  consequence  of  which  general  Reed  pub- 
lished a  pamphlet  in  which  the  whole  transaction  was  clear- 
ly and  satisfactorily  proved,  and  which  was  extensively  cir- 
culated, both  in  England  and  America. 

In  1778,  he  was  unanimously  elected  president  of  the  su- 
preme executive  council  of  the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  to 
which  office  he  was  elected  annually,  with  equal  unanimity, 
for  the  constitutional  period  of  three  years.  About  this  time 
there  existed  violent  parties  in  the  state,  and  several  serious 
commotions  occurred,  particularly  a  large  armed  insurrec- 
tion in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  which  he  suppressed,  and 
rescued  a  number  of  distinguished  citizens  from  the  most  im- 
minent danger  of  their  lives  at  the  risk  of  his  own,  for  which 
he  received  a  vote  of  thanks  from  the  legislature  of  the  state. 

At  the  time  of  the  defection. of  the  Pennsylvania  line,  go- 
vernor Reed  exerted  himself  strenuously  to  bring  back  the 
revolters,  in  which  he  ultimately  succeeded.  Amidst  the  most 
difficult  and  trying  scenes,  his  administration  exhibited  the 
most  disinterested  zeal  and  firmness  of  decision.  In  the  civil 
part  of  his  character,  his  knowledge  of  the  law  was  very  use- 
ful in  a  new  and  unsettled  government ;  so  that,  although  be 


REED.  405 

found  in  it  no  small  weakness  and  confusion,  he  left  it  at  the 
expiration  of  his  term  of  office,  in  as  much  tranquillity  and  en- 
ergy as  could  be  expected  from  the  time  and  circumstances  of 
the  war.  In  the  year  1781,  on  the  expiration  of  his  term  of 
office,  he  returned  to  the  duties  of  his  profession. 

General  Reed  was  very  fortunate  in  his  military  career, 
for.  although  he  was  in  almost  every  engagement  in  the 
northern  and  eastern  section  of  the  union,  during  the  war,  he 
never  was  wounded :  he  had  three  horses  killed  under  him, 
one  at  the  hattle  of  Brandy  wine,  one  in  the  skirmish  at  White 
Marsh,  and  one  at  the  battle  of  Monmouth.  During  the 
whole  of  the  war  he  enjoyed  the  confidence  and  friendship  of 
generals  Washington.  Greene,  Wayne,  Steuben,  la  Fayette, 
and  many  others  of  the  most  distinguished  characters  of  the 
revolution,  with  whom  he  was  in  habits  of  the  most  confiden- 
tial intercourse  and  correspondence.  The  friendship  that 
existed  between  general  Reed  and  general  Greene,  is  parti- 
cularly mentioned  by  the  biographer  of  general  Greene. 
"Among  the  many  inestimable  friends  who  attached  them- 
selves to  him.  during  his  military  career,  there  was  no  one 
whom  general  Greene  prized  more,  or  more  justly,  than  the 
late  governor  Reed,  of  Pennsylvania.  It  was  before  this  gen- 
tleman had  immortalized  himself  by  his  celebrated  reply  to 
the  agent  of  corruption,  that  these  two  distinguished  patriots 
had  begun  to  feel  for  each  other,  the  sympathies  of  congenial 
souls.  Mr.  Reed  had  accompanied  general  Washington  to 
Boston,  when  he  first  took  command  of  the  American  army; 
where  he  became  acquainted  with  Greene,  and,  as  was  almost 
invariably  the  case  with  those  who  became  acquainted  with 
him,  and  had  hearts  to  acknowledge  his  worth,  a  friendship 
ensued  which  lasted  with  their  lives."  Had  the  life  of 
general  Reed  been  sufficiently  prolonged,  he  would  have  dis- 
charged, in  a  manner  worthy  of  the  subject,  the  debt  of  na- 
tional gratitude  to  which  the  efforts  of  the  biographer  of  gene- 
ral Greene  have  been  successfully  dedicated,  who  had  in 
his  possession  the  outlines  of  a  sketch  of  the  life  of  general 
Greene  by  this  friend. 

In  the  year  1784,  he  again  visited  England  for  the  sake  of 
his  health,  but  his  voyage  was  attended  with  but  little  effect 
as  in  the  following  year  he  fell  a  victim  to  a  disease,  most 
probably  brought  on  by  the  fatigue  and  exposure  to  which  he 
was  constantly  subjected.  In  private  life,  he  was  accomplish- 
ed in  his  manners,  pure  in  his  morals,  fervent  and  faithful  in 
his  attachments. 

On  the  5th  of  March,  1785,  in  the  43d  year  of  his  age,  too 
soon  for  his  country  and  his  friends,  he  departed  a  life,  ac- 
tive, useful,  and  glorious.     His  remains  were  interred  in  the 


406  REVERE— RUSH. 

Presbyterian  ground,  in  Arch  street,  in  the  city  of  Philadel- 
phia, attended  by  the  president  and  executive  council,  and  the 
speaker  am!  the  general  assembly  of  the  state. 

REVERE.  Paul,  was  an  active  and  influential  patriot  at 
the  commencement  of  the  revolution,  associating  with  a  num- 
ber of  mechanics  who  watched  with  a  vigilant  eye  every  move 
of  the  British,  and  promptly  communicated  intelligence  to  the 
proper  authority.  In  the  evening  preceding  the  19th  of  April, 
1775.  Colonel  Revere  was  one  of  the  first  who  discovered 
that  a  British  detachment  was  ordered  on  an  expedition  into 
the  country,  and  with  the  utmost  despatch  repaired  to  Lex- 
ington, spreading  the  alarm  among  the  militia,  and  giving 
notice  to  Messrs.  Hancock  and  Adams,  who  were  then  at  the 
house  of  the  clergyman  in  that  town,  that  they  might  escape 
the  impending  danger.  Colonel  Revere  was  afterwards 
appointed  to  command  a  regiment  of  artillery  in  the  militia, 
and  was  on  the  unfortunate  Penobscot  expedition  in  the  sum- 
mer of  1779.  He  was  through  life,  esteemed  for  unimpeach- 
able integrity,  attachment  to  correct  political  principles,  and 
as  a  useful  citizen.  He  died  in  Boston,  1818,  in  his  eighty 
fourth  year. 

RUSH.  Benjamin,  was  born  the  24th  of  December,  1745. 
on  his  father's  estate,  about  twelve  miles  from  the  city  ot 
Philadelphia.  His  ancestors  followed  William  Penn  from 
England  to  Pennsylvania,  in  the  year  1683.  His  father  died 
while  he  was  yet  young.  At  the  age  of  nine  years  he  was 
placed  under  the  care  of  his  maternal  uncle,  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Samuel  Finley,  an  excellent  scholar,  whose  talents  and  learn- 
ing afterwards  elevated  him  to  the  presidency  of  Princeton 
college.  At  this  school  young  Rush  remained  five  years.  At 
the  age  of  fourteen,  after  completing  his  course  of  classical 
studies,  he  was  removed  to  the  college  at  Princeton,  then  un- 
der the  superintendence  of  President  Davis.  At  college  young 
Rush  became  distinguished  for  his  talents,  his  uncommon  pro- 
gress in  his  studies,  and  especially  for  his  eloquence  in  pub- 
lic speaking. 

In  the  year  1760,  at  the  early  age  of  fifteen,  young  Rush 
received  the  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts.  The  next  succeed- 
ing six  years  were  devoted  to  the  study  of  medicine,  under 
Dr.  John  Redman,  at  that  time  an  eminent  practitioner  in. 
the  city  of  Philadelphia.  Having,  with  great  fidelity,  com- 
pleted his  course  of  medical  studies  under  Dr.  Redman,  he 
embarked  for  Europe,  and  passed  two  years  at  the  universi- 
ty of  Edinburg,  attending  the  lectures  of  those  celebrated 
professors,  Dr.  Munro,  Dr.  Gregory,  Dr.  Cullen,  and  Dr. 
Black. 

In  the  spring  of  1768,  he  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of 


RUSH.  407 

Medicine.  From  Edinburg.  Dr.  Rush  proceeded  to  London^ 
where,  in  attendance  upon  the  hospitals  of  that  city,  he  made 
many  accessions  to  the  stock  of  knowledge  already  acquired. 
In  the  spring  of  1769,  after  visiting  Paris,  he  returned  to 
his  native  country,  and  immediately  commenced  the  practice 
of  physic  in  the  city  of  Philadelphia,  in  which  he  soon  be- 
came eminently  distinguished.  In  a  few  months  he  was  elec- 
ted a  professor  in  the  medical  school  which  had  been  recent- 
ly established  by  the  exertions  of  Dr.  Shippen,  Dr.  Kuhn, 
Dr.  Morgan,  and  Dr.  Bond. 

But  Dr.  Rush  did  not  confine  his  attention  and  pursuits 
either  to  the  practice  of  medicine,  or  to  the  duties  of  his  pro- 
fessorship :  his  ardent  mind  did  not  permit  him  to  be  an  in- 
active spectator  of  those  important  public  events  which  oc- 
curred in  the  early  period  of  his  life. 

The  American  revolution ;  the  independence  of  his  coun- 
try ;  the  establishment  of  a  newT  constitution  of  government 
for  the  United  States,  and  the  amelioration  of  the  constitu- 
tion of  his  own  particular  state,  all  successively  interested 
his  feelings,  and  induced  him  to  take  an  active  concern  in  the 
scenes  that  were  passing.  He  held  a  seat  in  the  celebrated 
congress  of  1776,  as  a  representative  of  the  state  of  Penn- 
sylvania, and  subscribed  the  ever  memorable  instrument  of 
American  independence.  In  1777  he  was  appointed  physi- 
cian general  of  the  military  hospital  for  the  middle  depart- 
ment :  and  in  the  year  1787,  he  received  the  additional  grati- 
fication and  evidence  of  his  country's  confidence  in  his  ta- 
lents, his  integrity,  and  his  patriotism,  by  being  chosen  a 
member  of  the  state  convention  for  the  adoption  of  the  fede- 
ral constitution. 

These  great  events  being  accomplished,  Dr.  Rush  gradu- 
ally retired  from  political  life,  resolved  to  dedicate  the  re- 
mainder of  his  days  to  the  practice  of  his  profession,  the  per- 
formance of  his  collegiate  duties,  and  the  publication  of  those 
doctrines  and  principles  in  medicine  which  he  considered 
calculated  to  advance  the  interests  of  his  favourite  science,  or 
to  diminish  the  evils  of  human  life. 

In  1789,  Dr.  Rush  was  elected  the  successor  of  Dr.  Mor- 
gan to  the  chair  of  the  theory  and  practice  of  physic.  In 
1791,  he  was  appointed  to  the  professorship  of  the  institutes 
of  medicine,  and  clinical  practice  ;  and  in  1805,  upon  the 
resignation  of  Dr.  Kuhn,  he  was  chosen  to  the  united  pro- 
fessorships of  the  theory  and  practice  of  physic,  and  of  clini- 
cal medicine,  which  he  held  the  remainder  of  his  life. 

Besides  these  delegated  and  official  trusts,  he  took,  as  a 
member  of  the  community,  a  very  prominent  concern  in  all 
the  leading  national  transactions  that  occurred  from  the  com- 


10b  RUSH. 

mencement  of  the  revolutionary  war  till  the  organization  of 
our  present  form  of  government.  Contemporary  with  this 
latter  event  was  the  termination  of  his  political  life.  He  af- 
terwards devoted  himself  exclusively  to  his  profession,  and  to 
the  discharge  of  his  duties  as  a  private  citizen.  The  only 
appointment  he  ever  held  under  the  federal  government,  as  an 
acknowledgment  of  all  that  he  had  contributed  towards  its 
establishment,  was  that  of  cashier  of  the  mint  of  the  United 
States. 

In  addition  to  those  already  enumerated,  he  held  many 
other  places  of  honour  and  confidence,  which  were  conferred 
on  him  by  the  suffrages  of  select  associations.  He  was,  for 
many  years,  one  of  the  physicians  of  the  Pennsylvania  Hos- 
pital, to  the  interests  of  which  he  most  faithfully  devoted  a 
portion  of  his  time.  He  was  president  of  the  American  So- 
ciety for  the  abolition  of  slavery,  vice  president  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Bible  Society,  an  early  member,  and,  for  a  time, 
president  of  the  Philadelphia  Medical  Society,  one  of  the  vice 
presidents  of  the  American  Philosophical  Society,  and  a  mem- 
ber of  many  other  learned  and  benevolent  institutions,  both 
in  America  and  Europe. 

In  private  charities  and  acts  of  hospitality,  in  public  con- 
tributions for  benevolent  purposes,  and  in  donations  to 
churches,  colleges  and  other  useful  establishments,  Dr.  Rush 
was  always  liberal ;  more  so,  perhaps,  during  a  part  of  his 
life,  than  was  consistent  with  his  income.  But  his  object  was 
to  do  good,  and  he  recognized  no  value  in  money,  except 
what  arose  from  the  proper  employment  of  it.  His  charities 
as  a  physician  were  also  extensive  ;  for  throughout  the  whole 
of  his  life,  he  regularly  set  apart  a  portion  of  his  time  for 
the  rendering  of  professional  services  to  the  poor.  Those 
persons  in  particular,  who,  in  a  season  of  prosperity,  had 
employed  him  as  their  physician,  he  never  forsook  in  the  hour 
of  their  adversity,  when  the  hand  of  penury  was  heavy  on 
their  spirits.  To  their  shattered  and  desponding  minds  he 
feelingly  administered  the  balm  of  comfort,  while,  by  his  at- 
tention and  skill,  he  removed  or  alleviated  their  bodily  suf- 
ferings. 

But  an  hour  awaited  himself,  the  severities  of  which  nei- 
ther caution  could  avert,  art  countervail,  nor  all  the  solici- 
tudes of  kindness  assuage.  In  the  midst  of  his  honours  and 
usefulness,  advanced  in  years,  but  in  the  meridian  of  his 
fame,  he  died,  after  a  short  illness,  on  the  19th  of  April,  1813. 
From  one  extreme  of  the  United  States  to  the  other,  the  event 
was  productive  of  emotions  of  sorrow.  Since  the  death  of 
Washington,  no  man,  perhaps,  in  America  was  better  known, 
more  sincerely  beloved,  or  held  in  higher  admiration  and  es- 


SCAMMEL.  409 

teem.  Even  in  Europe  the  tear  of  sensibility  descended  on 
his  ashes,  and  the  voice  of  eulogy  was  raised  to  his  memory  : 
for  the  man  of  genius  and  learning,  science  and  active  phi- 
lanthropy, becomes  deservedly  the  favourite  of  the  civilized 
world. 

In  enumerating  the  excellencies  of  Dr.  Rush's  character, 
it  would  be  an  unjustifiable  omission  not  to  mention,  that  du- 
ring his  whole  life  he  was  distinguished  by  a  spirit  of  prac- 
tical piety,  and  a  strict  observance  of  the  rites  and  ordinan- 
ces of  the  Christian  religion. 

His  person  was  above  the  middle  stature,  and  his  figure 
slender  but  well  proportioned.  His  forehead  was  prominent, 
his  nose  acquiline,  his  eyes  blue,  and  highly  animated,  and 
previously  to  the  loss  of  his  teeth,  his  mouth  and  chin  ex- 
pressive and  comely.  The  diameter  of  his  head  from  front 
to  back  was  uncommonly  large.  His  features  combined,  be- 
spoke the  strength  and  activity  of  his  intellect.  His  look 
was  fixed,  and  his  whole  demeanor  thoughtful  and  grave. 

He  was  temperate  in  his  diet,  neat  in  his  dress,  sociable 
in  his  habits,  and  a  well  bred  gentleman  in  his  intercourse 
with  the  world.  In  colloquial  powers  he  had  but  few  equals, 
and  no  one,  perhaps,  could  be  held  his  superior.  His  con- 
versation was  an  Attic  repast,  which,  far  from  cloying,  in- 
vigorated the  appetites  of  those  who  partook  of  it.  Yet  none 
could  enjoy  it  without  being  conscious  of  intellectual  refresh- 
ment :  so  ample  were  his  resources,  and  so  felicitous  his  talent 
for  the  communication  of  knowledge. 

SCAMMEL,  Alexander,  was  born  in  Mention,  Massa- 
chusetts. He  graduated  at  Harvard  college,  in  1769,  and 
was  employed  for  some  time  as  a  teacher  of  a  school,  and  a 
surveyor  of  lands.  In  1775,  he  was  appointed  brigade  major, 
and  in  1776,  colonel  of  the  third  battalion  of  continental 
troops  raised  in  Newr  Hampshire.  In  1771,  colonel  Scammel 
commanded  the  third  regiment  of  that  state,  and  was  wound- 
ed in  the  desperate  battle  of  Saratoga.  In  1780,  the  levy  of 
New  Hampshire  was  reduced  to  two  regiments,  w  hen  he  com- 
manded the  first.  He  was  afterwards  appointed  adjutant  ge- 
neral of  the  American  armies,  in  which  office  he  was  deser- 
vedly popular,  and  secured  the  esteem  of  the  officers  of  the 
army  generally.  With  this  situation  he  became  dissatisfied, 
because  it  often  excused  him  from  those  dangers  to  which 
others  were  exposed  ;  and  preferring  a  more  active  command, 
he  was  put  at  the  head  of  a  regiment  of  light  infantry.  On 
the  30th  of  September,  1781,  at  the  memorable  and  successful 
siege  of  Yorktown,  he  was  officer  of  the  day ;  and  while  re- 
connoitering  the  situation  of  the  enemy,  was  surprised  by  a 
party  of  their  horse;  and  after  being  taken  prisoner,  was 

5'? 


410  SCHAICK. 

inhumanly  wounded  by  them.   He  was  conveyed  to  the  city 
of  Williamsburg,  Virginia,  where  he  died  October  6,  1781. 

He  was  an  officer  of  uncommon  merit,  and  of  the  most 
amiable  manners ;  and  was  sincerely  regretted  by  all  who 
had  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance,  and  particularly  by  the 
officers  of  the  American  army.  The  following  lines  were 
written  the  day  after  the  capitulation  of  lord  Cornwallis,  at 
Yorktown,  and  placed  on  the  tomb-stone  of  colonel  Scammel  : 

"  What  tho'  no  angel  glanc'd  aside  the  ball, 
Nor  allied  arms  pour'd  vengeance  for  his  fall ; 
Brave  Scammel's  fame,  to  distant  regions  known, 
Shall  last  beyond  this  monumental  stone, 
Which  conqu'ring  armies  (from  their  toils  return'd) 
Rear'd  to  his  glory,  while  his  fate  they  mourn'd." 

SCHAICK,  Gosen  Van,  a  brigadier  general  in  the  Uni- 
ted States  army,  was  the  son  of  Sybrant  G.  Van  Schaick, 
Esq.  formerly  mayor  of  the  city  of  Albany,  and  was  born  in 
the  year  1737.  In  the  year  1756,  at  the  early  age  of  nine- 
teen, he  entered  the  British  army  as  a  lieutenant  under  the 
patronage  of  lord  Loudon,  his  father's  friend.  He  served 
through  the  remainder  of  the  French  war,  and  rose  to  the 
rank  of  lieutenant  colonel  in  1760.  When  the  revolution- 
ary war  commenced,  he  took  sides  with  his  native  country. 
A  muster  of  the  militia  hav  ing  been  made  on  the  east  side  of 
the  Hudson  river,  opposite  the  city  of  Albany,  not  a  person 
was  found  among  them  capable  of  taking  command.  At  this 
emergency,  colonel  Van  Schaick  was  requested  to  go  over 
and  take  charge  of  the  drill ;  and  he  particularly  distinguish- 
ed himself  on  that  occasion  by  introducing  confidence  and  re- 
gularity among  them.  He  afterwards  commar-ded  the  first 
New  York  regiment  in  the  line.  He  was  at  the  battle  of  Mon- 
mouth court  house,  and  in  1779,  headed  an  expedition  against 
the  Onondaga  Indian  settlements.  With  the  assistance  of 
colonel  Willet  and  major  Cochran,  the  objects  were  complete- 
ly effected  and  success  rewarded  their  efforts.  The  enemy 
were  defeated,  and  the  troops  returned  to  fort  Schuyler,  the 
place  of  rendezvous,  in  five  days  and  a  half  after  they  had 
left  it,  performing  the  arduous  service  required  of  them,  and 
a  march  through  the  wilderness  of  one  hundred  and  eighty 
miles.  For  this  handsome  display  of  talents  as  a  partisan  offi- 
cer, colonel  Van  Schaick  and  the  officers  and  soldiers  under 
his  command,  received  the  thanks  of  congress. 

The  cruelties  exercised  on  the  Wyoming  and  other  settle- 
ments attacked  by  the  Indians  in  the  course  of  the  preceding 
campaign,  had  given  a  great  degree  of  importance  to  this  ex- 
pedition :  and  a  deep  interest  was  felt  in  its  success. 


SCHUYLER.  411 

Shortly  before  his  death  in  1784,  he  received  a  brigadier 
general's  commission  in  the  regular  line.  His  own  fortune 
was  not  a  little  impaired  by  the  heavy  demands  made  upon  it, 
by  the  necessities  of  his  men,  at  a  time  when  the  supplies  were 
scanty  ami  irregular.  In  short  he  was  ever  a  good  citizen, 
a  true  patriot,  and  a  bra\c  soldier. 

SCHU ELER,  PHiLir,  a  major  general  in  the  revolutiona- 
ry war,  received  this  appointment  from  congress  June  19, 
1776.  He  was  directed  to  proceed  immediately  from  New- 
York  to  Ticonderoga,  to  secure  the  lakes,  and  to  make  pre- 
parations for  entering  Canada.  Being  taken  sick  in  Septem- 
ber, the  command  devolved  upon  general  Montgomery.  On 
his  recovery  he  devoted  himself  zealously  to  the  management 
of  the  affairs  in  the  northern  department.  The  superintend- 
ence of  the  Indian  concerns  claimed  much  of  his  attention. 
On  the  approach  of  Burgoyne  in  1777,  he  made  every  exertion 
to  obstruct  h'»s  progress;  but  the  evacuation  of  Ticonderoga 
by  St.  Clair,  occasioning  unreasonable  jealousies  in  regard  to 
Schuyler  in  New  England,  he  was  superceded  by  general  Gates 
in  August,  and  congress  directed  an  inquiry  to  be  made  into 
his  conduct.  It  was  a  matter  of  extreme  chagrin  to  him  to 
be  recalled  at  the  moment,  when  he  was  about  to  take  ground 
and  to  face  the  enemy.  The  patriotism  and  magnanimity  dis- 
played by  general  Schuyler,  on  this  occasion,  does  him  high 
honour.  AH  that  could  have  been  effected,  to  impede  the  pro- 
gress of  tic  British  army,  had  been  done  already.  Bridges 
were  broken  up ;  causeways  destroyed  :  trees  felled  in  eve- 
ry direction  to  retard  the  conveyance  of  stores  and  artillery. 
Patrols  were  employed  to  give  speedy  intelligence  of  every 
movement  of.  the  enemy,  and  detached  corps  of  light  troops 
to  harrass  and  keep  up  perpetual  alarm. 

On  Gates'  arrival,  general  Schuyler,  without  the  slightest 
indication  of  ill-humour,  resigned  his  command,  communica- 
ted all  the  intelligence  he  possessed,  and  put  every  interest- 
ing paper  into  his  hands,  simply  adding,  "I  have  done  all 
that  could  be  done  as  far  as  the  means  were  in  my  power,  to 
injure  the  enemy,  and  to  inspire  confidence  in  the  soldiers  of 
our  army,  and  I  flatter  myself  with  some  success  ;  but  the 
palm  of  victory  is  denied  me,  and  it  is  left  to  you,  general,  to 
reap  the  fruits  of  my  labours.  I  will  not  fail,  however,  to 
second  your  views  ;  and  my  devotion  to  my  country,  will 
cause  me  with  alacrity  to  obey  all  your  orders."  He  perform- 
ed his  promise,  and  faithfully  did  his  duty,  till  the  surrender; 
of  Burgoyne  put  an  end  to  the  contest. 

Another  anecdote  is  recorded  to  his  honour.  General  Bur- 
goyne, dining  with  general  Gates  immediately  after  the  con- 
vention of  Saratoga,  and  general  Schuyler  named  among  the 


412  SERGEANT. 

officers  presented  to  him,  thought  it  necessary  to  apologize  lor 
the  destruction  of  his  elegant  mansion  a  few  days  hefore,  by 
his  orders.  "  Make  no  excuses.  General,"  was  the  reply,  "  I 
feel  myself  more  than  compensated  by  the  pleasure  of  meet- 
ing  you  at  this  table." 

SERGEANT,  Jonathan  Dickenson,  a  zealous  patriot, 
and  eminent  lawyer,  was  born  at  Princeton,  in  New  Jersey, 
in  the  year  1746.  His  father  was  Jonathan  Sergeant,  a  high- 
ly respectable  citizen  of  New  Jersey,  and  his  mother  was  the 
daughter  of  the  reverend  Jonathan  Dickinson,  the  first  presi- 
dent of  Princeton  college,  whose  learned  and  pious  writings 
are  extensively  known  ;  and  have  obtained  for  his  memory 
the  high  respect  due  to  so  enlightened  and  faithful  a  servant 
in  the  cause  of  religion  and  letters.  The  subject  of  this  artU 
cle  studied  the  law  with  Richard  Stockton,  Esq.  the  elder. 
He  began  the  practice  early  and  with  decided  success.  When 
the  resistance  commenced  to  the  oppression  of  Great  Britain, 
he  took  at  once  an  active  and  distinguished  part  in  favour  of 
the  rights  of  his  countrymen,  and  throughout  the  whole  of  the 
arduous  struggle  which  ensued,  was  a  stedfast  and  resolute 
"whig,  in  the  darkest  periods,  preserving  a  cheerful  confidence, 
and  exerting  himself  with  unabated  vigour. 

In  February,  1776,  he  was  returned  a  delegate  from  New 
Jersey  to  Congress,  when  he  became  a  faithful  and  industrious 
member  of  that  illustrious  body.  He  continued  in  this  sta- 
tion throughout  the  perilous  period  of  1776,  and  part  of  1777. 
In  the  month  of  July  of  the  latter  year,  he  was  called  by  the 
state  of  Pennsylvania  to  the  office  of  attorney  general  of  that 
state,  which  he  accepted  with  a  full  sense  of  the  laborious  and 
critical  nature  of  the  service  he  was  thus  required  to  render, 
but  feeling,  too,  that  the  cause  of  the  revolution  might  in  some 
measure  be  considered  as  turning  upon  a  vigorous  exertion 
of  judicial  authority  of  Pennsylvania,  for  it  was  then  a  very 
prevalent  opinion  that  her  laws  against  treason  could  not  be 
enforced.  On  the  departure  of  the  British  from  Philadel- 
phia, he  removed  to  that  city  with  his  family,  and  there  re- 
sided until  his  death.  In  the  distressing  period  that  passed 
during  the  occupation  of  Philadelphia  by  the  British,  he  bore 
a  leading  and  prominent  part  in  the  administration  of  the  af- 
fairs of  the  state,  and  then  became  intimately  acquainted  with 
the  leading  whigs  of  Pennsylvania,  with  whom  he  delighted, 
during  the  remainder  of  his  life,  to  maintain  the  relations  of 
political  and  personal  friendship,  and  in  concert  with  them, 
to  devise  the  measures  necessary  for  strengthening  the  foun- 
dations of  liberty  which  had  been  laid  in  the  revolution. 

In  1778,  congress  having  directed  a  court  martial  for  the 
trial  of  general  St.  Clair  and  other  officers,  in  relation  to  the 


SERGEANT.  41G 

• 
evacuation  of  Ticonderoga,  and  ordered  two  counsellors 
learned  in  the  law,  to  be  appointed  to  assist  the  judge  advo- 
cate in  conducting  the  trial,  select*!  Mr.  Sergeant  and  Mr. 
Patterson,  attorney  general  of  New  Jersey,  to  perform  that 
duty. 

In  the  celebrated  controversy  between  the  states  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  Connecticut,  concerning  the  Wyoming  lands, 
which  was  heard  and  determined  in  1782,  before  a  court  of 
commissioners,  held  under  the  confederation,  Mr.  Sergeant 
was  one  of  the  counsel  for  the  state  of  Pennsylvania. 

In  1780,  the  storm  of  war  having  passed  away,  he  resign- 
ed the  office  of  attorney  general,  and  devoted  himself  to  his 
profession,  in  which  his  business  was  large  and  lucrative. 
Declining,  after  the  peace,  like  many  of  the  patriots  of  1776, 
to  accept  of  any  office,  his  acquaintance  was  courted,  and 
his  advice  and  aid  were  constantly  sought  by  the  republi- 
cans who  took  part  in  the  important  transactions  of  those 
days. 

He  continued  to  enjoy  good  health  in  the  midst  of  his  friends 
and  a  numerous  family  till  the  pestilence  of  the  yellow  fever 
of  1793,  visited  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  Terror,  and  alarm, 
and  flight,  were  the  effects  of  the  appearance  of  this  appal- 
ling visitor,  whose  strides  were  too  gigantic  and  marked,  not 
to  be  perceived.  The  poor  were  left  destitute,  and  the  chil- 
dren of  the  poor  who  fell  victims  to  the  disease,  were  orphans 
indeed.  Mr.  Sergeant,  with  a  few  others,  obeying  the  im- 
pulse of  humanity,  and  facing  the  danger  which  every  where 
surrounded  them,  took  upon  themselves  the  office  of  a  com- 
mittee of  health,  and  remained  to  assist  the  sick,  relieve  the 
distressed,  and  provide  the  helpless  orphans  with  clothing 
and  food  and  shelter,  from  funds  charitably  contributed  by 
themselves  and  their  fellow  citizens.  In  the  performance  of 
this  interesting  and  hazardous  duty,  he  fell  a  victim  to  the 
fever  in  the  month  of  October,  1793.  He  died  at  the  age  of 
forty  seven. 

As  a  lawyer,  he  was  distinguished  for  integrity,  learning, 
and  industry  :  for  great  promptness,  and  an  uncommonly  fine 
natural  elocution.  As  a  man,  he  was  kind,  generous,  and  ac- 
tively benevolent ;  free  from  selfishness  and  timidity,  and  at 
the  same  time  prudent  and  just;  maintaining  in  his  house  a 
liberal  hospitality,  without  ostentation  or  display.  As  a  citi- 
zen and  a  public  man,  he  was  ardent,  sincere,  and  indefati- 
gable ;  fearless  of  every  consequence  of  the  honest  discharge 
of  his  duty.  He  died  in  the  midst  of  his  usefulness,  but  he 
fell  in  the  cause  of  humanity  ;  and  the  blessings  and  tears  of 
the  orphans  whom  he  had  helped  to  rescue,  accompanied  his 
departing  spirit. 


414  SHERMAN. 

• 

SHERMAN,  Roger,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence,  was  born  in  Newtown,  Massachusetts, 
on  the  19th  of  April,  lTJfcl.  He  received  no  other  education 
than  the  ordinary  country  schools  in  Massachusetts,  at  that 
period,  afforded.  He  was  apprenticed  to  a  shoemaker,  and 
pursued  that  occupation  for  some  time  after  he  was. twenty- 
two  years  of  age.  It  is  recorded  of  Mr.  Sherman  that  he  was 
accustomed  to  sit  at  his  work  with  a  book  before  him,  devo- 
ting to  study  every  moment  that  his  eyes  could  be  spared  from 
the  occupation  in  which  he  was  engaged.  In  1743,  Mr.  Sher- 
man travel  led,  with  his  tools,  on  foot,  to  New  Milford,  Con- 
necticut, where  he  continued  to  work  at  his  trade  for  some 
time. 

Several  years  after  this,  he  applied  himself  to  the  study  of 
law.  and  was  admitted  to  the  bar  in  1734.  The  next  year,  he 
was  appointed  a  justice  of  the  peace,  and  soon  after,  a  repre- 
sentative in  the  general  assembly.  In  1761,  he  removed  to 
New-Haven.  From  this  time  his  reputation  was  rapidly  ris- 
ing and  he  soon  ranked  among  the  first  men  in  the  State. 

His  knowledge  of  the  human  character,  his  sagacious  and 
penetrating  mind,  his  general  political  views,  and  his  ac- 
curate and  just  observation  of  passing  events,  enabled  him  on 
the  first  appearance  of  serious  difficulties  between  the  colo- 
nies and  the  parent  country,  to  perceive  the  consequences  that 
would  follow ;  and  the  probable  result  of  a  contest  arising 
from  a  resistance  to  the  exercise  of  unjust,  oppressive  and  un- 
constitutional acts  of  authority,  over  a  free  people,  having 
sufficient  intelligence  to  know  their  rights,  and  sufficient  spi- 
rit to  defend  them.  Accordingly,  at  the  commencement  of  the 
contest,  he  took  an  active  and  decided  part  in  favor  of  the 
colonies,  and  subsequently  in  support  of  the  revolution 
and  their  separation  from  Great  Britain.  In  1774,  he  was 
chosen  a  member  of  the  first  continental  congress  ;  and  con- 
tinued to  be  a  member  except  when  excluded  by  the  law  of 
rotation.  He  was  a  member  of  the  illustrious  congress  of 
1776  ;  and  was  one  of  the  committee  that  drew  up  the  decla- 
ration of  Independence,  which  was  penned  by  the  venerable 
Thomas  Jefferson,  who  was  also  one  of  the  committee.  Af- 
ter the  peace,  Roger  Sherman  was  a  member  of  the  conven- 
tion which  formed  the  constitution  of  the  United  States ;  and 
he  was  chosen  a  representative  from  this  State  to  the  first 
Congress  under  this  constitution.  He  was  removed  to  the 
Senate  in  1791,  and  remained  in  this  situation  until  his  death, 
July  23,  1793,  in  the  73d  year  of  his  age.  The  life  of  Mr. 
Sherman  is  one  among  the  many  examples  of  the  triumph  of 
industry  over  all  the  obstacles  arising  from  the  want  of  what 
is  generally  considered  as  a  regular  and  systematic  education. 


SHERMAN.  415 

Yet  it  deserves  consideration,  whether  a  vigorous  mind,  stim- 
ulated by  an  ardent  thirst  of  knowledge,  left  to  its  own  exer- 
tions, unrestrained  and  unembarrassed,  by  rules  of  art,  and 
unshackled  by  systematic  regulations,  is  not  capable  of  pur- 
suing the  object  of  acquiring  knowledge  more  intensely  and 
with  more  success  ;  of  taking  a  more  wide  and  comprehen- 
sive survey ;  of  exploring  with  more  penetration  the  fields  of 
science  and  of  forming  more  just  and  solid  views.  Mr.  Sher- 
man possessed  a  powerful  mind,  and  habits  of  industry  which 
no  difficulties  could  discourage  and  no  toil  impair.  In  early 
life,  he  began  to  apply  himself  with  unextinguishable  zeal  to 
the  acquisition  of  knowledge.  In  this  pursuit,  although  he 
was  always  actively  engaged  in  business,  he  spent  more  hours 
than  most  of  those  who  are  professedly  students.  In  his  pro- 
gress, he  became  extensively  acquainted  with  mathematical 
science,  natural  philosophy,  moral  and  metaphysical  philoso- 
phy, history,  logic  and  theology.  As  a  lawyer  and  statesman, 
he  was  very  eminent,  having  a  clear,  penetrating  and  vigor- 
ous mind  ;  and  as  a  patriot,  no  greater  respect  can  be  paid  to 
his  memory  than  the  fact  which  has  already  been  noticed, 
that  he  was  a  member  of  the  patriotic  congress  of  1776,  which 
declared  these  colonies  to  be  free  and  independent. 

The  following  inscription  is  recorded  upon  the  tablet  which 
covers  his  tomb  : 

"In  memory  of 

the  HON.  ROGER  SHERMAN,  Esq.. 

Mayor  of  the  city  of  New  Haven, 

and  Senator  of  the  United  States. 

He  was  born  at  Newtown,  in  Massachusetts, 

April  19th,    1721, 

And  died  in  New  Haven,  Julv  23rd,  A.  D.  1793, 

aged  LXXII. 

Possessed  of  a  strong,  clear,  penetrating  mind, 

and  singular  perseverance, 

He  became  the  self  taught  scholar, 

eminent  for  jurisprudence  and  policy. 

He  was  nineteen  years  an  assistant, 

and  twenty-three  years  a  judge,  of  the  superior  court, 

in  high  reputation. 

He  was  a  delegate  in  the  first  congress, 

Signed  the  glorious  act  of  Independence, 

and  many  years  displayed  superior  talents  and  ability  in  the 

national  legislature. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  general  convention, 

approved  the  federal  constitution, 

And  served  his  country,  with  fidelity  and  honour,  in  the 

House  of  representatives, 


416  STARK. 

and  in  the  Senate  of  the  United  States. 
He  was  a  man  of  approved  integrity  : 
a  cool,  discerning  Judge  ; 
a  prudent,  sagacious  politician  ; 
a  true,  faithful,  and  firm,  patriot. 
He  ever  adorned 
the  profession  of  Christianity 
which  he  made  in  youth  : 
and,  distinguished  through  life 
for  public  usefulness, 
died  in  the  prospect 
of  a  blessed  immortality." 
STARK,  Joiix.  was  born  in  Londonderry,  New  Hanip 
shire,  28th  of  August,  (old  style,)  1728.    John  removed  with 
his  father  to  Derryfield,  (now  Manchester)  about  the  year 
1736,  and  settled  a  mile  north  of  Amoskeig  Falls,  where  he 
was  employed  occasionally  in  hunting  and  husbandry,  until 
the  28th  day  of  April  1752  ;  when  he  and  three  others  while 
hunting  beaver  on  Baker's  river,  were  surprised  by  ten  St. 
Francois  Indians.    He  had  separated  from  his  companions, 
in  order  to  collect  the  traps.  In  the  act  of  taking  the  last  trap, 
he  was  seized  by  the  Indians,  who  interrogated  him  about  his 
companions  ;  but  he  pointed  out  a  contrary  route.    He  led 
them  nearly  two  miles  from  the  right  place,  and  was  pro- 
ceeding,  when  they  heard  guns  fired,  which  his  comrades 
had  commenced,  on  presumption  that  he  had   lost  his  way. 
The  Indians  then  changed  their  course,  got  ahead  of  the  boat, 
and  lay  in  ambush.   His  comrades  having  fallen  into  the  am- 
bush, the  Indians  directed  Stark  to  call  for  them  ;  he  did  so, 
but  advised  them  to  escape  to  the  opposite  shore,  on  which 
four  of  the  Indians  fired.  In  this  situation  be  had  the  temeri- 
ty to  snatch  away  two  of  their  guns,  and  on  the  others  pic 
paring  to  fire,  he  did  the  same.    One  of  his  comrades,  how- 
ever, was  killed.  The  savages  beat  Stark  most  severely.  He 
and  one  of  his  comrades  remained  prisoners  with  the  Indians 
six  weeks,  when  two  gentlemen  were  sent  by  Massachusetts 
to  redeem  prisoners,  and  they  were  accordingly  redeemed, 
and  returned  by  way  of  Albany,  and  arrived  at  Derryfield  in 
August  following.   Stark  paid  one  hundred  and  three  dollars, 
and  his  comrade  sixty,  for  their  freedom.    In  the  following 
winter  the  general  court  of  New  Hampshire  concluded  to 
send  a  party  to  explore  the  Coos  country.   A  company  was 
enlisted  to  perform  this  duty.    On  their  arrival  at  Concord, 
they  applied  to  Mr.  Stark  to  act  as  their  pilot,  who  agreed  to 
accompany  them.    They  returned  on  the  thirteenth  day  to 
Concord.  In  the  year  1754,  it  was  understood  that  the  French 
were  making  a  fort  at  the  upper  Coos.    Captain  Powers  was 


STARK.  417 

Sent  by  the  governor  of  New  Hampshire,  with  thirty  men, 
bearing  a  Hag  of  truce,  lb  demand  the  reason  of  making  a 
fort  there.  On  bis  arrival  at  Concord  he  had  n<>  pilot,  and 
applied  to  Mr.  Stark  ;  who,  ever  ready  to  embark  in  the  most 
hazardous  enterprizes,  readilj  accompanied  them.  He  con- 
ducted the  party  to  the  upper  Coos,  and  on  the  same  i 
that  the  Indians  had  led  him  captive  two  years  before  They 
found  no  garrison,  and  the  scout  returned  alter  exploring  tor 
the  first,  time,  (by  any  English  adventurer,]  the  (  oos  inter- 
vals, the  now  healthful  and  flourishing  towns  of  Haverhill 
an'1  Newburg. 

On  the  commencement  of  the  seven  years  war.  in  1755, 
Stark  had  acquired  so  much  celebrity  by  these  se\eral  expe- 
ditions, that  the  governor  appointed  h  m  a  lieutenant  in  cap- 
tain Rogers's  company,  in  colonel  I)lan(  hard's  regiment. 
Rogers  possessing  the  same  hold  and  enterprising  spirit,  the 
ruggea  sons  of  the  forest  soon  ranged  themselves  under  their 
banners,  and  were  ordered  to  proceed  to  Coos,  and  burn  the 
intervals,  preparatory  to  building  a  fort  and  forming  an  es- 
tablishment there  ;  but  before  they  reached  Coos,  a  new  or- 
der  commanded  them  to  join  the  regiment  at  Fort  Edward, 
by  wa\  of  Charlestown.  No.  4,  and  Housack,  and  arri\ed 
about  the  lime  that  SirAVilliam  Johnson  was  attacked  by  the 
French  and  Indians  near  Bloody  Pond,  between  Fort  Edward 
and  Lake  George,  This  campaign  passed  over  without  any 
occurrence  worthy  of  remark.  In  the  autumn,  the  regiment 
wa    discharged,  and  lieutenant  Stark  returned  borne. 

In  the  winter  of  1756,  a  project  was  formed  by  the  British 
commander  at  Fort  Edward,  to  establish  a  corps  of  rangers, 
to  counteract  the  French  scouts  of  Canadians  and  Indians 
that  constantly  harrassed  the  frontiers,  and  hung  on  the  wings 
of  the  army.  Rogers  was  appointed  captain,  and  he  immedi- 
atelv  repaired  to  New  Hampshire  to  engage  Stark  to  be  his 
lieutenant,  and  raise  the  soldiers.  They  soon  completed  their 
quota,  and  in  April  following  began  their  march  for  Fort 
Edward.  This  campaign  nothing  of  importance  was  done, 
except  that  this  company  was  almost  constantly  on  foot, 
watching  the  motions  of  the  enemy  at  Tie  and  Crown  Point, 
and  preparing  themselves  for  more  important  seiwices.  In 
the  autumn  of  this  year  the  corps  was  joined  by  two  compa- 
nies commanded  by  Hobs  and  Spickman  from  Halifax.  At 
this  time  the  three  companies  contained  nearly  three  hundred 
men.  and  began  to  be  esteemed  of  considerable  consequence. 
In  January.  1757.  a  plan  was  formed  for  this  corps  to  march 
to  the  lake,  and  intercept  the  supplies  from  Crown  Point  to 
Ticonderoga.  They  turned  Tie,  seized  a  few  sleighs,  and 
were  returning  to  Fort  George,  when  the  party  was  attacked 

53 


41b  STARK. 

about  three  miles  from  Tie,  by  the  combined  force  of  French 
and  Indians  from  the  garrison,  when  a  most  bloody  ami  des- 
perate action  ensued.  Perhaps,  according  to  numbers  enga- 
ged, a  more  sanguinary  battle  was  not  fought  during  the  war. 
In  this  instance,  great  prudence  and  coolness,  joined  with  the 
most  obstinate  bravery,  marked  the  conduct  of  the  young  of- 
ficer. Captain  Spickman  being  killed,  and  Rogers  wounded, 
the  command  of  the  retreat  devolved  on  lieutenant  Stark, 
who,  by  his  industry  and  firmness,  in  the  face  of  the  garrison, 
secured  the  wounded,  and  drew  off  the  detachment  with  such 
order  and  address,  as  to  keep  the  enemy  at  bay.  At  tight  in 
the  morning,  they  armed  at  Lake  George.  The  wounded, 
who,  during  the  night  march,  had  kept  up  their  spirits,  now 
stiff  with  cold,  fatigue,  and  loss  of  blood,  could  march  no 
farther.  It  became  necessary  to  send  notice  to  Fort  George, 
that  sleighs  might  be  sent  for  them  :  he  undertook  the  task, 
and  by  fatigue  more  easily  imagined  than  described,  arrived 
at  the  fort  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening  ;  and  the  day 
following  his  companions  returned  in  sleighs.  In  the  new  or- 
ganization of  the  corps,  lieutenant  Stark  was  appointed  to 
supply  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  death  of  captain  Spickman. 
The  garrison  had  been  quiet  for  some  time,  when  on  the 
evening  of  the  sixteenth  of  March  he  made  his  rounds,  and 
heard  the  rangers  planning  a  celebration  of  the  Irish  St.. 
Patrick's.  By  one  of  those  eccentricities  for  which  he  was 
always  remarkable,  he  commanded  the  suttler  to  deliver  no 
rum  to  the  rangers  without  a  written  order.  He  then  pre- 
tended to  be  unwell,  and  lame  in  his  right  hand,  and  could 
make  no  order.  By  this  circumstance  the  rangers  were  kept 
sober ;  but  the  Irish  regiment  did  not  forget  their  ancient 
practice,  and  the  day  following  took  large  libations  in  honoi* 
of  Shelah,  that  saint's  good  lady.  The  French  at  Tie.  know- 
ing the  laudable  custom  of  the  Hibernians  on  that  festival, 
had  planned  an  attack  on  the  garrison  that  night,  and  would 
probably  have  carried  the  fort  without  much  difficulty,  if 
these  sober  sentinels  and  troops  had  not  repulsed  them,  while 
the  others  were  coming  to  their  senses.  The  fate  of  the  at- 
tack belongs  to  history.  The  British  commander  in  chief, 
sensible  of  the  services  of  Stark,  held  him  in  high  estimation 
ever  after.  From  this  time  to  the  autumn  following,  no  mili- 
tary movement  of  any  consequence  took  place,  when  Lord 
Loudone,  the  then  commander,  ordered  the  rangers  to  march 
to  New  York,  to  be  employed  on  the  Halifax  station.  When 
the  order  came,  captain  Stark  was  on  a  scout,  and  did  not 
join  them  till  their  arrival  at  New  York,  at  which  place  he  was 
seized  with  the  small  pox  of  the  most  malignant  kind,  and  of 
course  did  not  embark.    Indeed  he   hardly   recovered  his 


STARK.  419 

strength  during  the  season  ;  but  as  he  was  on  the  eve  of  sail- 
ing for  Halifax,  the  rangers  returned,  and  he  again  joined 
them  at  Albany  in  the  month  of  October,  and  passed  the  fol- 
lowing winter  at  Fort  Edward. 

In  the  year  1T58,  general  Abercrombie  commanding  the 
British  forces,  resolved  to  attempt  the  reduction  of  Ticonde- 
roga.  The  rangers,  as  usual,  were  ordered  to  scour  the  coun- 
try, and  open  the  way  for  the  British  troops  to  march  up  to 
the  attack.  The  evening  before  this  fatal  battle  he  had  a  long 
conversation  with  Lord  Howe,  resting  on  a  large  bear  skin, 
(his  lordship's  camp  bed)  relative  to  the  mode  of  attack,  and 
the  position  of  the  fort.  Similarity  of  character  had  created 
a  strong  friendship  between  them  ;  they  supped  together,  and 
the  last  orders  were  given  to  the  rangers  to  carry  the  bridge 
between  lake  George,  and  the  plains  of  Tie,  at  an  early  hour 
in  the  morning.  According  to  orders,  they  advanced,  and  on 
approaching  the  bridge,  Major  Rogers  was  at  their  head,  and 
sa^v  the  Canadians  and  Indians  prepared  to  dispute  the  pas- 
sage with  them  :  he  halted  a  few  minutes,  which  naturally 
pushed  the  rear  on  the  front :  not  knowing  the  cause,  Stark 
rushed  forward  to  Rogers,  and  told  him  it  was  no  time  to 
delay,  but  to  run  boldly  on  to  the  bridge,  and  the  danger 
would  soon  be  over  ;  the  advice  was  pursued,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  the  enemy  fled  and  left  the  course  clear  for  the  army 
to  pass.  The  result  of  the  action  is  well  known.  His  regrets 
for  the  fate  of  the  brave  lord  Howe  lasted  with  his  life,  with 
only  the  exception  of  the  revolutionary  war,  when  he  often 
remarked  that  he  became  more  reconciled  to  his  fate,  lest  he 
might  have  been  employed  against  the  United  States. 

This  disaster  closed  the  campaign.  In  the  winter  he  was 
permitted  to  return  home  on  furlough,  when  he  married  Eli- 
zabeth Page.  In  the  spring  following  he  joined  the  army 
under  General  Amherst,  and  was  present  at  the  reduction  of 
Tie  and  Crown  Point. 

By  the  conquest  of  Canada  in  1759  and  '60,  little  more  ac- 
tive military  services  were  expected  in  America.  This  cir- 
cumstance, added  to  the  death  of  lord  Howe,  and  the  jea- 
lousies of  the  British  officers,  induced  him  to  quit  the  service. 
General  Amherst,  however,  by  an  official  letter,  assured  him 
of  his  protection,  and  that  if  he  should  be  inclined  to  re-enter 
the  service,  he  should  not  lose  his  rank  by  retiring. 

From  this  period  until  the  year  1774,  nothing  of  moment 
in  public  or  private  life,  roused  him  to  action.  In  all  instan- 
ces of  disputes  between  the  king's  governors  and  the  people, 
lie  was  uniformly  attached  to  the  interests  of  the  latter,  and 
became  a  kind  of  rallying  point  for  the  people  in  his  vicinity 
to  exchange  ideas  and  discuss  public  measures.  About  this 


420  STARK. 

period  he  was  appointed  one  of  the  committee  of  safety,  and 
performed  that  critical  and  delicate  duty  with  great  firmness 
and  moderation  ;  using  all  his  endeavours  to  inspire  union  of 
sentiment,  and  to  he  prepared  for  action  in  case  it  became 
necessary. 

On  the  news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  he  immediately 
mounted  his  horse  and  proceeded  to  the  theatre  of  action, 
encouraging  the  volunteers  from  New  Hampshire  to  rendez- 
vous at  Medford,  as  the  most  contiguous  ar.d  proper  place  to 
assemble.  His  military  services,  and  his  uniform  integrity 
and  patriotism,  left  him  no  rival  in  the  minds  of  his  neigh- 
bours who  had  appeared  in  arms  ;  and  lie  was  hailed  their 
colonel  and  commander,  by  a  unanimous  voice.  Isaac  Wy- 
man  was  chosen  lieutenant  colonel,  and  Andrew  M' Clary, 
major.  They  soon  had  ten  or  twelve  full  companies,  and  be- 
gan exercising  their  men  with  all  possible  diligence  and  acti- 
vity. As  he  had  left  a  considerable  farm  and  numerous  fa- 
mily of  young  children,  at  about  ten  minutes  notice,  with  no 
other  equipments  than  a  second  shirt,  he  returned  home  in 
about  twenty  days,  arranged  his  affairs  as  well  as  he  could, 
(in  two  days  that  he  tarried,)  and  returned  to  the  army  for 
the  campaign.  Soon  after  joining  his  regiment  he  was  in- 
structed by  general  Ward  to  take  a  small  escort,  and  examine 
Noddle's  island,  preparatory  to  a  project  to  raise  some  bat- 
teries to  annoy  the  shipping  in  Boston  harbour.  He  took  ma- 
jor M' Clary,  and  one  or  two  other  officers,  and  crossed  on 
to  the  island  from  Chelsea.  While  in  the  act  of  examining 
the  ground,  they  discovered  a  similar  detachment  of  English, 
who  had  formed  a  project  to  cut  them  off,  by  seizing  their 
boat.  Timely  vigilance  frustrated  their  plan.  After  exchang- 
ing a  few  shots  (no  damage  on  the  American  side,  the  other 
unknown,)  they  reached  the  boat,  and  safely  landed  on  terra 
firma.  Soon  after  this,  the  battle  of  Bunker  hill  called  his 
regiment  into  action,  and  it  is  an  acknowledged  fact,  that 
they  sustained  the  repeated  attacks  of  the  enemy  with  a  re- 
solution and  success  that  would  have  done  credit  to  chivalry 
in  its  most  daring  and  respectable  periods.  When  the  fort 
was  carried,  and  retreat  became  unavoidable,  he  drew  off  his 
men  in  tolerable  order,  although  his  soldiers  were  very  un- 
willing to  quit  their  position,  as  they  had  repulsed  the  ene- 
my so  often,  that  they  considered  themselves  completely  vic- 
torious. Immediately  on  the  retreat,  the  lines  were  laid  out 
on  Winter  hill,  and  finished  with  uncommon  zeal  and  enthu- 
siasm. The  remainder  of  the  campaign  passed  over  without 
any  more  fighting.  A  few  abortive  projects,  and  settling  the 
rank  of  the  general  .md  field  officers,  occupied  the  remainder 
@f  the  season.  Towards  the  close  of  the  vear  it  was  deemed 


STARK.  421 

prudent  to  re-enlist  the  army.  His  exertions  in  this  service 
were  equal,  and  attended  with  the  same  success,  as  his  cou- 
rage and  prudence  in  the  field.  The  regiment  was  soon  com- 
pleted. 

On  the  evacuation  of  Boston  his  regiment  was  ordered  to 
New  York,  where  he  assisted  in  planning  and  executing  the 
defences  of  that  city,  until  May,  when  the  regiment  was  or- 
dered to  proceed  hy  way  of  Alhany  to  Canada.  He  left  New 
York,  and  passing  through  the  New  England  states,  joined 
the  army  at  St.  Johns  early  in  June,  and  soon  proceeded  to 
the  mouth  of  Sorrel.    He  opposed  the  expedition  to  Three  Ri- 
vers as  Siazardous  and  imprudent.    On  the  return  of  the  re- 
mains of  that  expedition,  he  accompanied  his  regiment  to 
Chamblee,  and  was  very  active  in  rendering  assistance  to 
the  soldiers  afflicted  with  the  small  pox.    After  crossing  lake 
Champlain,  his  regiment  encamped  on  Chimney  Point,  until 
they  were  ordered  to  proceed  to  Ticonderoga.    He  was  op- 
posed to  the  removal,   and  got  up  a   memorial  in  form  of  a 
protest  against  the  measure;  limits  will  not  allow  the  rea- 
sons to  be  given.    General  Schuyler  being  of  a  different  opi- 
nion, the  array  was  removed  on  the  sixth  or  seventh  of  July. 
It  was  always  his  maxim  to  give  his  opinion  firmly,  and  then 
obey  the  orders  of  the  commanding  officer/  On  the  morning 
after  the  arrival  of  the  army  at  Tie.  the  Declaration  of  In- 
dependence was  proclaimed  to  the  array  with  shouts  of  ap- 
plause.  His  post  was  mount  Independence,  (named  on  the  oc- 
casion,) then  a  wilderness.   General  Gates  soon  joined  the 
army,  and  in  the  organization  he  was  appointed  to  command 
a  brigade,  and  to  clear  and  fortify  the  mount.  Towards  the 
close  of  the  campaign,  .Congress   appointed   several  of  the 
younger  colonels, (brigadiers  ;  against  which  he  protested,  on 
the  ground  of  insecurity  of  rank,  and  planting  the  seeds  of 
jealousy  among  the  officers. 

On  closing  the  campaign  in  the  north,  his  regiment  was 
ordered  to  Pennsylvania,  and  joined  general  Washington  at 
Newton,  a  few  days  before  the  battle  of  Trenton.  He  was  in- 
structed by  general  Sullivan  to  lead  the  vanguard,  and  by 
his  promptness  contributed  his  share  in  that  bloodless  and 
fortunate  coup  du  main.  He  was  with  general  Washington 
when  he  crossed  the  Delaware,  and  very  active  at  the  battle 
of  Princeton,  and  continued  with  the  general  until  he  had 
established  his  winter  quarters  at  Morristown.  As  the  en- 
listed term  of  his  regiment  had  expired,  and  only  a  small 
number  could  be  induced  to  tarry  a  few  weeks  longer,  he  was 
ordered  to  New  Hampshire,  to  recruit  another  regiment. 

Early  in  the  month  of  March  he  summoned  his  officers  to 
hand  him  a  return  of  their  success,,  which  fully  equalling  his 


422  STARK. 

expectations,  be  immediately  gave  notice  to  the  council  of 
New  Hampshire  and  general  Washington.  Early  in  April 
he  went  to  Exeter,  to  receive  instructions  for  the  campaign, 
and  was,  for  the  first  time,  informed  that  a  new  list  of  pro- 
motions had  been  made,  and  his  name  omitted.  He  easily 
traced  the  cause  to  some  officers  of  high  rank,  and  members 
of  Congress,  who  were  not  pleased  with  his  unbending  cha- 
racter. He  immediately  called  on  the  council,  waited  on  ge- 
neral Sullivan  and  general  Poor,  explained  his  motives, 
wished  them  all  possible  success,  surrendered  his  commis- 
sion, and  returned  home  without  expectation  of  ever  again 
taking  the  field  :  in  the  mean  time  fitted  out  all  his  own  fami- 
ly old  enough  for  service,  assisted  them  to  join  the  army,  and 
continued  his  zeal  for  the  national  cause  as  heretofore.  From 
this  period  to  the  retreat  from  Ticonderoga  he  was  busily 
engaged  in  husbandry. 

On  that  disastrous  event  New  Hampshire  was  called  on  to 
recruit  and  forward  men  to  check  the  advance  of  the  enemy. 
The  council  immediately  fixed  their  eyes  on  colonel  Stark, 
and  sent  an  express  to  notify  him  and  request  a  conference. 
Ever  prompt  when  his  country  was  in  danger,  he  hastened 
to  Exeter,  and  presented  himself  to  the  council.  They  soon 
communicated  their  views,  urged  him  to  forget  what  had 
passed,  and  assume  the  command.  He  demanded  a  few  hour,6' 
for  consideration,  and  returned,  informed  them  that  he  had 
very  little  confidence  in  the  then  commanders  of  the  north, 
and  that  lie  did  not  think  that  lie  could  be  useful  with  the  ar- 
my ;  but  if  they  would  raise  as  many  men  as  they  could,  to 
hang  on  the  Vermont  wing  and  rear  of  the  enemy,  with  con- 
dition that  he  should  not  be  amenable  to  any  other  officer,  and 
only  accountable  to  their  body,  he  would  %pcept  the  appoint- 
ment, and  proceed  immediately  to  the  frontiers.  They  closed 
with  the  terms,  and  made  out  a  commission  and  instructions 
accordingly.  He  was  soon  on  the  ground,  and  a  considerable 
number  of  drafts  and  volunteers  enabled  him  to  form  a  small 
army  of  observation. 

General  Gates,  who  had  succeeded  to  the  command  of  the 
northern  army,  having  learned  that  this  body  was  encamped 
at  Bennington,  sent  major  general  Lincoln  and  suit  to  assume 
the  command,  and  conduct  them  to  head  quarters  on  North 
river.  He  presented  his  letter  from  general  Gates,  and  his 
instructions,  and  proposed  an  immediate  march.  He  was  can- 
didly informed  of  the  objections,  and  wrote  a  statement  to 
general  Gates ;  he  informed  general  Washington  and  Con- 
gress, urging  reinforcements,  as  he  had  been  pressed  so  close 
by  Burguyne  as  to  take  post  south  side  of  Mohawk  river. 
General  Lincoln,  after  tarrying  a  few  days  in  a  private  ca 


STARK.  423 

parity,  at  Bennington,  returned  to  the  main  army  to  consult 
with  general  Gates,  on  the  critical  state  of  affairs.  In  the 
mean  time  Burgoyne  (probably  apprized  of  these  jarrings) 
detached  colonel  Baum  to  beat  up  their  quarters,  and  destroy 
the  force  on  that  wing.  General  Stark  was  apprized  of  the 
advance  on  the  fourteenth  of  August,  and  prepared  for  battle 
on  the  following  morning.  The  fifteenth  proved  very  rainy 
and  prevented  the  intended  attack  ;  at  the  same  time  enabled 
colonel  Baum  to  surround  his  camp  with  a  log  breastwork. 
The  weather  proving  favourable  on  the  sixteenth,  the  troops 
were  in  motion  at  an  early  hour  and  advanced  to  search  for 
the  enemy.  He  was  found  on  an  eminence  forming  a  kind  of 
sodded  bluff,  fronted  by  the  Walloomschaick  on  the  south, 
and  a  gradual  slope  to  the  north  and  west.  His  position  was 
reconnoitred  at  about  a  mile  distance,  and  the  plan  of  attack 
arranged.  Two  detachments,  one  to  the  right  and  the  other 
to  the  left,  were  commanded  to  turn  his  rear  and  advance  di- 
rectly to  the  entrenchment  or  lines,  and  to  reserve  their  fire 
until  they  were  very  near.  Fortunately  they  both  arrived  at 
their  stations  almost  at  the  same  minute,  and  by  a  rapid  step 
were  at  the  works  so  soon  that  the  enemy  derived  no  advan- 
tage from  their  labour,  and  were  pushed  out  of  the  fort  with 
only  firing  a  few  shots,  and  driven  directly  on  the  reserve, 
who  soon  decided  the  battle.  The  prisoners  were  collected 
and  hurried  off  as  soon  as  possible.  At  this  critical  moment 
information  was  brought  that  a  reinforcement  was  close  upon 
them.  The  large  portion  of  the  troops  taken  to  guard  the 
prisoners,  and  the  dispersion  for  refreshments,  plunder  and 
other  purposes,  left  scarcely  any  men  to  resist  them.  At  this 
critical  period  colonel  Warner  with  a  small  detachment  of  his 
regiment,  having  heard  the  guns  of  the  first  battle,  was  has- 
tening to  support  them,  and  now  was  directed  to  advance  di- 
rectly and  commence  an  attack  while  other  troops  could  he 
collected.  These  troops  had  been  in  service  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  war,  and  it  was  easy  for  their  brave  commander 
to  bring  them  into  action.  They  checked  the  enemy  and  were 
continually  reinforced  by  small  squads  until  nearly  sunset, 
when  the  enemy  gave  way  at  every  point,  abandoned  their 
cannon,  and  were  pursued  until  dark.  Many  prisoners  were 
taken,  but  the  main  body  retreated  so  rapidly,  that  they  es- 
caped by  favour  of  the  night.  Upon  the  advance  of  Burgoyne, 
general  Stark  approached  near  the  main  army  at  Behman's 
heights,  and  finally  entered  the  camp.  On  the  18th  of  Sep- 
tember the  term  of  his  troops  expired.  Great  management 
"was  used  to  induce  them  to  tarry  a  month,  or  even  a  fort- 
night :  as  it  was  seen  that  a  battle  must  shortly  take  place, 
and  general  Gates  was  strongly  impressed  with  the  impor- 


124  STARK. 

tance  of  these  victorious  troops  to  his  camp  ;  but  all  to  no 
purpose.  They  began  their  march  home  on  the  evening  of 
the  same  day,  and  on  the  morning  of  the  nineteenth  ;  am;  his 
service  having  been  performed,  he  returned  with  them.  No 
appearance  was  perceived  of  movements  in  Burgoyne's  army 
until  they  had  passed  the  North  river,  when  it  was  seen  in 
motion ;  and  this  militia  had  scarcely  marched  ten  miles, 
when  the  battle  began.  Some  of  them  turned  about  ;  but 
when  the  firing  ceased,  they  pursued  their  march  homeward. 
The  news  of  the  battle  overtook  them  on  the  road,  General 
Stark  passed  one  night  at  home,  and  then  proceeded  to  Exe- 
ter to  make  report  to  the  council,  proclaiming  that  Bur- 
goyne  would  certainly  be  taken  if  the  people  would  turn  out, 
and  announced  his  determination  to  return  immediately.  Vo- 
lunteers from  all  quarters  flocked  to  his  standard,  and  he 
soon  joined  the  army  with  a  more  numerous  and  formidable 
command  than  before.  He  was  zealous  for  attacking  Bur- 
goyne  in  his  camp,  and  for  that  purpose  had  placed  his  little 
army  in  the  rear,  so  as  to  cut  off  all  communication  by  way 
of  hike  George  ;  but  perhaps  capitulation  was  a  more  pru- 
dent and  equally  certain  course. 

The  war  being  over  in  the  northern  department,  he  return- 
ed home,  exerting  all  his  influence  to  induce  the  people  to  fur- 
nish recruits  and  supplies  for  the  next  campaign.  He  bad 
hardly  reached  bis  house  when  congress  ordered  him  to  pre- 
pare a  winter  expedition  for  Canada,  and  to  repair  to  Albany 
without  delay  to  receive  further  instructions.  He  was  there 
at  the  appointed  time,  and  then  departed  to  Vermont,  New 
Hampshire  and  Massachusetts,  to  forward  the  preparations, 
and  return  to  the  general  rendezvous  at  Albany  at  a  given 
time.  He  performed  his  part,  but  congress  gave  up  the  pro- 
ject. 

Early  in  1778,  he  was  ordered  to  proceed  to  Albany  and 
assumethe  command  of  the  northern  department.  This  was 
the  most  unpleasant  of  his  public  services.  He  had  very  few- 
troops,  two  extensive  frontier  rivers  to  guard,  and  to  cap  his 
troubles,  he  was  surrounded  with  a  kind  of  licensed  torus, 
in  the  midst  of  spies,  peculators  and  public  defaulters.  He 
laboured  to  reform  the  abuses  in  the  department  and  succeed- 
ded  like  most  reformers.  Those,  who  were  detected,  cursed 
him,  and  their  friends  complained,  and  he  gladly  received 
an  order  in  October  from  general  Washington  to  join  gene- 
ral  Gates  at  Rhode  Island,  who  had  previously  requested  his 
assistance.  General  Hand  succeeded  him  at  Albany,  but 
left  the  command  shortly  after  for  the  same  reasons  and  with 
the  same  pleasure. 

On  joining  general  Gates'  head  quarters  at  Providence,  he 


STARK.  423 

was  ordered  to  take  quarters  at  East  Greenwich,  principally 
on  account  of  his  popularity  with  the  militia,  that  he  might 
gain  better  information  of  the  plans  of  the  enemy  on  Rhode 
Island,  and  guard  against  any  invasion.  Here  he  continued 
until  all  opportunity  for  action  was  over  for  the  season  ;  when 
lie  was  ordered  to  proceed  to  New  Hampshire  by  way  of  Bos- 
ton to  urge  at  both  places  the  necessity  of  recruits  and  sup- 
plies. 

Early  in  the  spring  of  1779,  he  was  ordered  bark  to  Pro- 
vidence and  instructed  by  general  Gates  to  examine  with 
close  attention  all  the  shores  and  avenues  from  Providence  to 
Point  Judith,  as  well  as  all  the  coast  on  the  east  side  of  the 
bay  as  far  as  Mount  Hope.  As  there  were  but  few  troops  on 
the  station,  more  than  common  vigilance  was  required  to  pre- 
vent inroads  or  plunder  and  to  establish  a  regular  espionage  ; 
this  being  the  only  instance  in  which  he  ever  descended  to 
that  mode  of  warfare  :  by  this  means  at  the  close  of  autumn 
indications  were  early  discovered  of  a  descent  or  some  other 
movement.  He  removed  his  quarters  to  Point  Judith  but  took 
care  not  to  rest  more  than  one  or  two  nights  in  a  place.  Some- 
time in  October,  the  views  of  the  enemy  were  unmasked,  and 
for  some  days  his  command  was  on  constant  duty.  About 
the  8th  or  10th  of  November,  the  enemy  decamped,  and  ear- 
ly next  morning  he  entered  the  lower  end  of  Newport  and 
took  possession  of  the  town.  Guards  were  immediately  placed 
in  the  different  streets  to  prevent  plunder  or  confusion  and 
preserve  order.  At  this  time  general  Washington  was  fear- 
ful that  on  the  arrival  of  the  reinforcement  from  Newport  at 
New  York,  some  attempt  might  be  made  on  his  army,  and 
ordered  the  troops  that  had  blockaded  Newport  (with  the  ex- 
ception of  a  small  garrison)  immediately  to  join  him  in  New- 
Jersey.  No  attempt  being  made  by  the  enemy,  about  mid  win- 
ter general  Washington  requested  him  to  proceed  to  New- 
England  and  back  his  requisitions  for  men  and  supplies. 

This  duty  being  discharged,  he  joined  the  army  at  Morris- 
town  in  the  early  part  of  May,  and  was  present  on  Short 
Hills  at  the  battle  of  Springfield,  but  not  personally  engag- 
ed. Soon  after  this  action  general  Washington  required  him 
to  proceed  with  all  despatch  to  Massachusetts  and  New 
Hampshire,  to  urge  a  supply  of  men,  money  and  provision; 
to  muster  as  many  militia  as  he  could  by  drafts  and  volunta- 
ry enlistments,  and  to  accompany  them  to  West  Point.  He 
landed  them  on  the  Point,  while  general  Washington  and 
suit  had  passed  on  to  Hartford  to  confer  with  count  Rochani- 
beau  and  other  French  officers  a  few  days  previous  to  Ar- 
nold's desertion,  and  the  day  following  joined  his  division 
at  Liberty-Pole,  New  Jersey.     In  the  latter  end  of  September 

54 


426  STARK. 

lie  was  ordered  to  relieve  the  Pennsylvania  troops  under  gene- 
ral St.  Clair,  which,  on  Arnold's  desertion  had  been  ordered 
there.  St.  Clair  marched  his  division  the  next  day  to  Liber- 
ty-Pole. 

About  this  time  general  Washington  having  formed  a  pro- 
ject to  surprise  Staten  Island,  to  mask  his  intentions,  order- 
ed general  Stark  with  a  detachment  of  twenty  -five  hundred 
men,  with  a  large  train  of  waggons  and  teams  to  advance  near 
York  Island  and  bring  off  ail  the  corn  and  forage  to  be  found, 
and  to  hover  about  New  York  until  ordered  back.  Probably 
the  British  suspected  some  masked  plan:  but,  be  that  as  it 
may,  they  suffered  this  detachment  to  pillage  the  country  to 
the*  very  verge  of  Morrisania  and  Kingsbridge  for  several 
days,  and  then  quietly  return  to  West  Point  and  Peekskill 
with  their  booty.  Soon  after  this  the  army  withdrew  from 
Liberty-Pole  and  went  into  winter  quarters  at  West  Point, 
New  Windsor  and  Fishkill.  Here  general  Stark  was  visit- 
ed with  a  severe  fit  of  sickness,  which  left  him  very  weak, 
and  about  the  middle  of  January,  1781,  he  obtained  leave  to 
return  to  New  Hampshire,  with  the  standing  order  to  press 
for  men  and  supplies.  He  journeyed  by  short  stages  and  ar- 
rived at  his  house  still  more  weak  and  feeble.  His  health  re- 
turning with  the  approach  of  spring,  he  was  ordered  to  Al- 
bany to  take  command  of  the  northern  department  and  estab- 
lish his  head  quarters  at  Saratoga. 

Some  feeble  detachments  of  militia  from  New  York,  Mas- 
sachusetts and  New  Hampshire,  were  collected  to  protect  the 
northern  frontiers.  It  was  soon  discovered  that  the  country 
was  inundated  with  spies  and  traitors;  houses  robbed  (on  po- 
litical principles)  and  inhabitants,  non-combatants,  carried 
prisoners  to  Canada.  The  house  of  general  Schuyler,  on* 
mile  from  the  capitol  of  Albany,  was  attacked,  several  arti- 
cles stolen,  and  two  or  three  of  his  servants  and  labourers 
carried  to  Canada.  He  only  saved  himself  by  retreating  to 
a  chamber,  barricading  the  door  that  they  could  not  force  it. 
and  firing  through  it  when  it  was  attempted  to  be  broken. 
The  firing  raised  the  military  from  the  city  and  the  maraud- 
ers fled  with  their  prisoners  and  booty. 

Bad  as  the  country  was  in  1778,  it  was  infinitely  worse  in 
1781.  Some  few  days  after  the  military  post  was  established 
at  Saratoga,  one  of  these  detachments  was  arrested  within 
the  lines.  A  British  lieutenant's  commission  was  found  on 
the  commander.  He  had  been  a  refugee  from  that  quarter 
and  was  known.  A  board  of  officers,  summoned  to  examine 
the  case,  pronounced  him  a  spy,  and  gave  their  opinion  for 
hanging.  He  was  executed  the  next  day.  Complaints  were 
made  by  his  friends  and  connexions  in  and  about  Albany  of 


STEUBEN.  427 

the  danger  of  retaliation.  General  Washington  demanded  a 
copy  of  the  proceedings;  it  was  sent  and  no  further  notice  ta- 
ken of  it.  The  cure  of  the  body  politic  was  radical:  none  of 
those  parties  ventured  into  the  country  again  during  the  war. 

Immediately  after  the  reduction  of  Cornwallis,  the  danger 
of  inroads  from  Canada  was  dissipated.  Stark  dismissed 
the  militia  with  thanks  for  their  good  conduct;  secured  the 
public  stores,  and  was  ordered  to  retire  by  way  of  Albany, 
with  instructions  to  continue  Iris  efforts  to  raise  men,  money 
and  supplies  in  New  England  for  the  next  campaign. 

In  1782.  he  was  afflicted  with  rheumatisms,  and  various 
chronical  complaints,  all  the  season,  and  did  not  join  the  ar- 
my :  his  complaints,  however,  yielded  to  repose,  of  which  he 
immediately  informed  general  Washington,  and  was  ordered 
to  join  the  army  early  in  April,  1783,  at  West  Point.  He 
was  on  the  spot  on  the  day  appointed,  and  received  the  hear- 
ty thanks  of  general  Washington  for  his  punctuality.  He 
aided  and  encouraged  the  army  to  separate  without  confu- 
sion, and  not  tarnish  their  laurels  by  any  act  of  resistance  or 
usurpation.  Soon  after  this  he  returned  home,  and  devoted 
the  remainder  of  his  patriarchal  life  to  the  various  duties  of 
patriot,  friend,  neighbour,  and  father  to  an  extensive  family. 
His  long  and  useful  life  terminated  on  the  eighth  of  May,  1822. 

The  neighbouring  militia  vied  with  each  other  for  permis- 
sion to  render  the  last  honorary  duties  to  the  departed  pa- 
triot. Captain  Eaton's  light  infantry  of  Goffstown,  was  se- 
lected from  the  numerous  applicants,  and  performed  the  duty 
with  great  respect  and  the  most  perfect  order  and  discipline. 
At  his  own  request  lie  was  interred  on  his  farm,  on  the  bor- 
der of  the  Merrimack  river. 

STEUBEN,  Frederick  William,  a  major  general  in 
the  American  army,  was  a  Prussian  officer,  who  served  many 
years  in  the  armies  of  the  great  Frederick,  was  one  of  his 
aids,  and  had  held  the  rank  of  lieutenant  general.  He  ar- 
rived in  New  Hampshire  from  Marseilles  in  November  1777, 
with  strong  recommendations  to  congress.  He  claimed  no 
rank,  and  only  requested  permission  to  render  as  a  volunteer 
what  services  he  could  to  the  American  army.  He  was  soon 
appointed  to  the  office  of  inspector  general  with  the  rank  of 
major  general,  and  he  established  a  uniform  system  of  ma- 
ncftuvres,  and  by  his  skill  and  persevering  industry  effected, 
during  the  continuance  of  the  troops  at  Valley  Forge,  a  most 
important  improvement  in  all  ranks  of  the  army.  He  was 
a  volunteer  in  the  action  at  Monmouth,  and  commanded  in 
the  trenches  of  York  town  on  the  day  which  concluded  the 
struggle  with  Great  Britain. 

During  his  command,  lord  Cornwallis  made  his  overture 


428  SULLIVAN. 

for  capitulation.  The  proposals  were  immediately  despatch- 
ed to  the  commander  in  chief,  and  the  negociation  progres- 
sed. The  Marquis  de  la  Fayette,  whose  tour  it  was  next  to 
mount  guard  in  the  trenches,  marched  to  relieve  the  Baron, 
who,  to  his  astonishment,  refused  to  he  relieved.  He  inform- 
ed general  de  la  Fayette,  that  the  custom  of  European  war 
w&s  in  his  favor,  and  that  it  was  a  point  of  honor  which  he 
could  neither  give  up  for  himself,  nor  deprive  his  troops  of; 
that  the  offer  to  capitulate  had  heen  made  during  his  guard, 
and  that  in  the  trenches  he  would  remain  until  the  capitula- 
tion was  signed  or  hostilities  commenced.  The  Marquis  im- 
mediately galloped  to  head  quarters  :  general  Washington  de- 
cided in  favor  of  the  Baron  to  the  joy  of  one,  and  to  the  mor- 
tification of  the  other  of  those  hrave  and  valuable  men.  The 
Baron  remained  till  the  business  was  finished.  After  the 
peace  the  Baron  retired  to  a  farm  in  the  vicinity  of  New  York. 
The  state  of  New  Jersey  had  given  him  a  small  improved 
farm,  and  the  state  of  New  York  gave  him  a  tract  of  sixteen 
thousand  acres  of  land  in  the  county  of  Oneida. 

The  Baron  died  at  Steubenville,  New  York,  November  28, 
1794,  aged  sixty  one  years.  He  was  an  accomplished  gentle- 
man and  a  virtuous  citizen ;  of  extensive  knowledge  and  sound 
judgment. 

SULLIVAN,  John,  a  major  general  in  the  American  army, 
was  the  eldest  son  of  Mr.  Sullivan  who  came  from  Ireland, 
and  settled  in  Massachusetts.  In  1775,  congress  appointed 
him  a  brigadier  general,  and  in  the  following  year,  it  is  be- 
lieved, a  major  general.  He  superceded  Arnold  in  the  com- 
mand of  the  army  in  Canada,  June  4,  1776,  but  was  soon 
driven  out  of  that  province.  Afterwards  on  the  illness  of 
Greene  he  took  the  command  of  his  division  on  Long  Island. 
In  the  battle  of  August  the  twenty  seventh,  he  was  taken  pris- 
oner. In  a  few  months,  however,  he  was  exchanged  :  for  when 
Lee  was  carried  off,  he  took  the  command  of  his  division  in 
New  Jersey.  On  the  22d  of  August  1777,  he  planned  and 
executed  an  expedition  against  Staten  Island,  for  which  on 
enquiry  into  his  conduct  he  received  the  approbation  of  the 
court.  In  September  he  was  engaged  in  the  battle  of  Bran- 
dy  wine,  and  on  the  fourth  of  October  in  that  of  Germantown. 
In  the  winter  he  was  detached  to  command  the  troops  in 
Rhode  Island.  In  August  1778,  he  laid  siege  to  Newport, 
then  in  the  hands  of  the  British,  with  the  fullest  confidence  of 
success  ;  but  being  abandoned  by  the  French  fleet  under  D'Es- 
taing,  who  sailed  to  Boston,  he  was  obliged  to  his  unutterable 
chagrin,  to  raise  the  siege.  On  the  twenty  ninth  an  action 
took  place  with  the  pursuing  enemy,  who  were  repulsed.  On 
the  thirtieth  with  great  military  skill,  he  passed  over  to  the 


STEVENS.  429 

continent,  without  the  loss  of  a  single  article,  and  without 
the  slightest  suspicion  on  the  part  of  the  British  of  his  move- 
ments. In  the  summer  of  1779  he  commanded  an  expedition 
against  the  six  nations  of  Indians. 

"  The  bloody  tragedy,  acted  at  Wyoming,  in  1778,  had  de- 
termined the  commander  in  chief,  in  1779,  to  employ  a  large 
detachment  from  the  continental  army  to  penetrate  into  the 
heart  of  the  Indian  country,  to  chastise  the.  hostile  tribes  and 
their  white  associates  and  adherents,  for  their  cruel  aggres- 
sions on  the  defenceless  inhabitants.  The  command  of  this 
expedition  was  committed  to  major  general  Sullivan,  with  ex- 
press orders  to  destroy  their  settlements,  to  ruin  their  crops, 
and  make  such  thorough  devastations,  as  to  render  the  coun- 
try entirely  uninhabitable  for  the  present,  and  thus  to  com- 
pel the  savages  to  remove  to  a  greater  distance  from  our  fron- 
tiers. General  Sullivan  had  under  his  command  several  bri- 
gadiers and  a  well  chosen  army,  to  which  were  attached  a 
number  of  friendly  Indian  warriors.  With  this  force  he  pene- 
trated about  ninety  miles  through  a  horrid  swampy  wilder- 
ness and  barren  mountainous  deserts,  to  Wyoming,  on  the 
Susquehanna  river,  thence  by  water  to  Tioga,  and  possessed 
himself  of  numerous  towns  and  villages  of  the  savages.  Dur- 
ing this  hazardous  expedition,  General  Sullivan  and  his 
army  encountered  the  most  complicated  obstacles,  difficul- 
ties, and  hardships  ;  and  requiring  the  greatest  fortitude 
and  perseverance  to  surmount.  He  explored  an  extensive 
tract  of  country,  and  strictly  executed  the  severe,  but  neces- 
sary orders  lie  had  received.  A  considerable  number  of  In- 
dians were  slain,  some  were  captured,  their  habitations  were 
burnt,  and  their  plantations  of  corn  and  vegetables  laid  waste 
in  the  most  effectual  manner.  Eighteen  villages,  a  number 
of  detached  buildings,  one  hundred  and  sixty  thousand  bush- 
els of  corn,  and  those  fruits  and  vegetables,  which  conduce  to 
the  comfort  and  subsistence  of  man,  were  utterly  destroyed. 
Five  weeks  were  unremittingly  employed  in  this  work  of  de- 
vastation." On  his  return  from  the  expedition,  he  and  his 
army  received  the  approbation  of  congress. 

In  about  three  months  from  his  setting  out,  general  Sullivan 
reached  Easton,  in  Pennsylvania,  and  soon  after  rejoined  the 
army. 

In  the  years  1786,  1787,  and  1789,  general  Sullivan  was 
president  of  New  Hampshire,  in  which  station  by  his  vigo- 
rous exertions  he  quelled  the  spirit  of  insurrection,  winch  ex- 
hibited itself  at  the  time  of  the  troubles  in  Massachusetts.  He 
died  January  23,  1795,  aged  fifty  four  years. 

STEVENS,  Edward,  a  distinguished  officer  in  the  revo- 
lutionary war,  was  born  in  Culpepper  county,  Virginia.    He 


430  STEVENS. 

engaged  early  in  the  contest  for  our  liberties,  nor  did  he 
sheathe  his  sword  until  the  achievement  of  national  indepen- 
dence. His  military  career  commenced  at  the  battle  of  the 
Great  Bridge,  near  Norfolk,  Virginia,  where  he  commanded 
a  battalion  of  riflemen.  Distinguished  on  that  occasion  by  his 
valour  and  good  conduct,  he  immediately  attracted  public  at- 
tention, as  an  individual  peculiarly  fitted  for  utility  in  the 
arduous  struggles  of  the  revolution.  He  was  shortly  after 
appointed  to  command  the  tenth  Virginia  regiment,  which, 
being  speedily  raised,  equipped,  and  organized,  colonel  Ste- 
vens marched  to  the  north,  and  came  under  the  immediate 
command  of  general  Washington.  The  first  occasion  that 
presented  itself  for  the  distinction  of  this  regiment,  occurred 
at  the  battle  of  Brandy  wine,  on  the  11th  of  September,  1777. 
It  was  here  that  the  gallant  exertions  of  this  intrepid  oilicer 
served,  in  a  great  measure,  to  protect  the  continental  army 
from  annihilation.  Colonel  Stevens  was  not  brought  into  ac- 
tion until  the  retreat  had  begun  ;  he' was  then  charged  to  co- 
ver the  rear,  and  impede  the  pursuit  of  the  enemy.  With  the 
co-operation  of  a  Pennsylvania  regiment,  Stevens  seized  an 
advantageous  piece  of  ground  on  the  road,  taken  by  the  de- 
feated army,  protecting  the  second  and  eleventh  regiments 
from  capture,  checking  the  enemy,  and  securing  the  retreat. 
His  orders  were  here  gallantly  executed,  making  an  impres- 
sion on  the  hostile  army,  which  induced  the  British  general 
to  look  to  his  own  safety,  and  abandon  the  pursuit.  Colonel 
Stevens  received,  on  the  succeeding  day,  the  public  thanks 
of  the  commander  in  chief.  The  battle  of  Germantown  took 
place  in  October  following,  where  the  tenth  Virginia  regi- 
ment was  alike  distinguished  by  its  intrepid  courage,  which 
again  produced  for  its  gallant  chief  the  public  acknowledg- 
ments of  Washington. 

Colonel  Stevens  now  filled  a  large  space  in  the  hopes  of 
his  native  state  ;  he  was  called  to  the  command  of  a  brigade ; 
and  the  next  theatre  presented  to  his  valor  was  at  the  battle 
of  Camden.  In  the  council  of  war,  immediately  preceding 
this  action,  the  memorable  reply  of  brigadier  Stevens,  (to  the 
interrogatory  put  to  the  board,)  "  It  is  too  late  to  retreat 
now  ;  we  must  fight,"  was  made.  This  answer  was  follow- 
ed by  the  order  of  the  American  general,  without  further 
counsel;  "Then,  gentlemen,  repair  to  your  several  posts;" 
a  decisive  evidence  of  the  high  confidence  reposed  by  him  in 
the  discretion  and  capacity  of  general  Stevens.  The  issue  of 
this  affair  was  unfavorable  :  and  although  the  gallantry  and 
conduct  of  Stevens  exempted  him  from  all  imputations,  yet  no 
officer  felt  more  deep  and  mortifying  chagrin  at  the  tarnish- 
ed lustre  of  our  arms.     He  felt  so  sorely  the  calamities  of  the 


STEVENS.  431 

day,  that  he  would  have  returned  from  the  southern  campaign, 
but  for  the  pressing  solicitude  of  general  Greene,  who,  soon 
after  assuming  command  of  this  department  of  the  continen- 
tal forces,  was  unwilling  to  lose  the  services  of  an  officer  so 
distinguished  for  all  those  trials  of  military  character  which 
produce  practical  utility.  The  battle  of  Guilford  Court  house 
furnished  brigadier  Stevens  an  opportunity  of  reviving  the  des- 
pondent hopes  of  the  South,  and  warding  off  evils,  with  which 
he  had  been  unluckily  beset  at  Camden.  The  North  Carolina 
militia  formed  the  first  line  ;  Steven's  brigade  of  Virginia  mi- 
litia the  second.  So  soon  as  the  enemy  approached  the  first 
line,  within  one  hundred  and  forty  yards,  a  scattered  fire  com- 
menced, when  this  line  threw  down  their  arms,  and  fled  to  the 
second  with  precipitation.  Stevens,  possessing  that  happy 
presence  of  mind  so  necessary  in  action  to  draw  benefit  even 
from  calamity,  directed  his  troops  to  open  their  ranks,  and 
permit  them  to  pass  ;  and,  to  prevent  the  panic's  infecting  his 
command,  he  gave  out  that  they  had  been  ordered  to  retreat 
upon  the  first  fire.  At  this  battle  he  took  the  precaution  to 
station  a  body  of  picked  riflemen  forty  yards  in  the  rear  of 
his  brigade,  with  positive  orders  to  shoot  down  the  first  man 
who  attempted  to  break  the  ranks  or  escape.  He  received  here 
a  severe  wound  in  the  thigh,  though  he  did  not  quit  the  field 
until  he  had  rendered  great  services,  and  brought  off  his  troops 
in  good  order  :  general  Greene  bestowed  on  him  marked  com- 
mendation. The  siege  of  York,  and  the  capture  of  the  Bri- 
tish army  under  Lord  Cornwallis,  soon  closed  the  important 
scene  of  the  revolution.  It  was  here  that  General  Stevens 
preserved  and  increased  his  well-earned  honors.  The  com- 
mander in  chief  repeatedly  assigned  him  important  duties, 
which  called  for  the  best  efforts  of  valor  and  skill ;  these  were 
faithfully  executed  ;  and  it  is  confidently  asserted,  that  no  of- 
ficer possessed  a  larger  share  of  his  respect  and  confidence. 
During  all  this  period,  he  was  a  zealous  patriot  in  the  civil 
department  of  the  government.  From  the  foundation  of  the 
state  constitution,  until  the  year  1790,  he  was  a  member  of 
the  Senate  of  Virginia ;  always  useful,  esteemed  and  respec- 
ted. He  was  at  Charlottesville,  in  the  Legislature,  when 
Tarleton  invaded  the  commonwealth,  and  dispersed  that  bo- 
dy ;  his  plan  was,  to  arm  the  citizens,  meet  Tarleton  at  the 
river  below  the  village,  and  fight  him.  This  counsel  was  not 
executed,  and  he  narrowly  escaped  capture,  by  the  more  ele- 
gant equipment  of  a  person  flying  a  short  distance  before  him. 
The  character  of  general  Stevens  may  be  given  in  a  few 
words  :  No  man  on  earth  possessed  the  cardinal  virtues  in  a 
higher  degree  ;  firm,  patient,  and  deliberative  ;  with  a  sound 
judgment,  singleness  of  heart,  unblemished  and  uncorrupti- 


432  THOMAS. 

ble  integrity  ;  honest  patriotism,  which  despised  all  state 
tricks ;  an  unbounded  and  immoveable  courage.  For  the 
sphere  of  practical  utility  and  public  benefit  he  was  well 
fitted  :  born  with  little  brilliant  embellishment,  he  had  all  the 
qualities  for  real  and  substantial  service,  without  regarding 
the  influence  of  faction  and  party  ;  but  loving  the  general 
principles  of  civil  liberty,  his  feelings  were  always  on  the 
side  of  his  country.  His  heart  was  the  abode  of  that  patriot- 
ism, which,  spurning  parties,  cleaved  to  the  constitution  of 
the  nation,  as  a  holy  ark,  which  contains  at  once  the  evidence 
of  our  glory,  and  the  charter  of  our  liberties. 

He  died  at  his  seat  in  Culpepper  county,  Virginia,  on  the 
17th  day  of  August,  1820. 

THOMAS,  John,  was  a  native  of  Kingston.  Massachu- 
setts. He  was  in  military  service  in  former  wars  against  the 
French  and  Indians,  where  lie  acquired  a  high  degree  of  repu- 
tation. He  was  among  the  first  to  espouse  the  rause  of  his 
country  in  a  military  capacity,  in  1775.  and  during  the  siege 
of  Boston,  and  on  the  heights  of  Dorchester,  he  was  distin- 
guished as  an  active,  vigilant  and  brave  officer.  In  March, 
1776,  he  was  promoted  by  Congress  from  a  brigadier  to  the 
rank  of  major  general.  When  Boston  was  evacuated  he  was 
sent  to  Canada  to  take  command  of  the  troops  which  Montgo- 
mery and  Arnold  led  into  that  province.  On  his  arrival 
there  he  found  innumerable  difficulties  to  encounter  ;  the  small 
pox  frequently  breaking  out  among  the  troops,  and  the  sol- 
diers being  in  the  practice  of  inoculating  themselves,  to  the 
great  injury  of  the  public  service.  The  general  deemed  it 
necessary,  for  the  safety  of  the  army,  to  prohibit  the  prac- 
tice of  inoculating,  and  not  excepting  himself  from  the  in- 
junction, he  unfortunately  received  the  infection,  which  pro- 
ved fatal  to  him,  and  deprived  the  public  of  a  valuable  gene- 
ral officer.  He  was  held  in  universal  respect  and  confidence 
as  a  military  character,  and  his  death  deeply  deplored 
throughout  the  army. 

A  more  brave,  beloved,  and  distinguished  character,  did 
not  go  into  the  field  :  nor  was  there  a  man  that  made  a  greater 
sacrifice  of  his  own  ease,  health,  and  social  enjoyments. 

THOMAS.  Thomas,  took  an  early  and  decided  part  with 
his  country  in  opposing  the  tyrannical  acts  of  Great  Britain. 
He  commanded  a  regiment  in  the  year  1776,  and  was  in  the 
battle  of  Harlsem  Heights  and  at  the  White  Plains.  In  the 
autumn  of  that  year,  the  enemy  burnt  his  house,  and  took  his 
aged  and  patriotic  father  a  prisoner  to  New  York  ;  confined 
him  in  the  Provost,  where  he  died,  through  their  inhuman 
treatment,  a  martyr  to  his  country.  General  Thomas  was 
an  active  partisan  officer,  continually  on  the  alert  and  harras- 


VARNUM.  433 

sing  the  enemy  on  every  occasion,  until  be  was  taken  a  pris- 
oner, when  his  captors  stripped  off  his  regimentals,  took  his 
hat  from  his  head,  and  in  that  degraded  manner,  compelled 
him  to  march  through  the  streets  of  New- York.  Notwithstand- 
ing this,  he  found  some  friends  who  interceded  with  the  com- 
mander in  chief,  and  he  was  put  on  his  parole  on  Long  Island. 
Aftdr  he  was  exchanged,  he  did  not  slacken  his  zeal  in  his 
country's  cause,  hut  continued  harrassing  the  enemy,  and  de- 
fending the  peaceahle  inhabitants  of  the  country  against  the 
depredations  of  the  enemy,  until  peace  was  proclaimed.  Af- 
terwards he  was  repeatedly  elected  a  member  of  the  legisla- 
ture,  and  always  evinced  himself  an  advocate  for  the  people's 
rights. 

He  died  at  his  scat  in  the  town  of  Harrison,  West  Chester, 
county,  New  York,  in  July,  1824.  aged  79. 

VARNUM,  Joseph  B.  was  among  the  earliest  patriots  of 
the  revolution,  and  sustained  important  offices  connected  with 
the  army.  At  the  termination  of  the  war,  he  retired  to  his 
paternal  scat  in  Dracut,  and  immediately  re-commenced  his 
political  career  ;  and.  during  his  long  life,  was  continually 
called  by  his  fellow  citizens  to  fill  high  civil  and  military  of- 
fices. At  his  decease  he  was  senior  memGer  of  the  senate, 
and  the  oldest  major  general  in  the  commonwealth.  In  this 
period,  beside  militia  appointments,  he  sustained  the  office  of 
representative,  senator,  and  councillor  of  Massachusetts, 
and  representative  and  senator  in  the  congress  of  the  United 
States  ;  and  for  many  years  filled,  with  approbation,  the  ar- 
duous station  of  speaker  of  the  house  of  representatives,  in 
times  of  the  utmost  political  excitement.  He  was  a  member 
of  the  convention  of  Massachusetts  which  ratified  the  consti- 
tution of  the  United  States  in  1787.  and  was  in  the  foremost 
ranks  of  those  statesmen  who  advocated  the  adoption  of  that 
instrument,  and  for  their  zeal  to  cement  the  federal  union, 
obtained  the  name  of  Federalists.  He  was  also  a  leading 
member  of  the  late  state  convention.  In  all  the  offices  he  sus- 
tained, general  Varnum  exhibited  an  assiduity  which  never 
tired,  and  an  integrity  above  all  suspicion.  Though  of  late 
years  he  differed  in  some  points  of  political  economy  from  a 
majority  of  his  fellow  citizens  of  the  state,  it  may  with  truth 
and  justice  be  affirmed,  that,  at  his  death,  Massachusetts  did 
not  contain  a  more  honest  and  independent  man.  He  possess- 
ed a  strong  mind  in  a  sound  body.  His  decease  was  sudden. 
He  rode  out  on  the  day  preceding  it,  but  being  indisposed, 
speedily  returned,  and  found  his  dissolution  rapidly  approach- 
ing He  called  his  family  and  friends  around  him.  acquain- 
ted them  with  his  situation,  gave  directions  that  his  funeral 
might  not  be  attended  with  any  military  or  civic  parade,  ap- 


434  WARD— WARREN. 

pointed  his  pall-bearers,  and  closed  his  eyes  in  peace  the  same 
evening.  He  died  on  the  11th  of  September,  1821,  in  the  se- 
venty second  year  of  his  age. 

He  enjoyed  in  a  high  degree,  and  deservedly,  the  confi- 
dence of  his  immediate  constituents,  as  is  evinced  by  their  re- 
peated elections  of  him  to  represent  them  in  coi  gress,  and  in 
the  general  court  of  Massachusetts,  up  to  the  day  of  his  de- 
cease. 

WARD,  Artemas,  the  first  major  general  in  the  Ameri- 
can army,  was  graduated  at  Harvard  college  in  1743.  and 
was  afterwards  a  representative  in  the  legislature,  a  member 
of  the  council,  and  a  justice  of  the  court  of  common  pleas  for 
Worcester  county.  Massachusetts.  When  the  war  com- 
menced with  Great  Britain  he  was  appointed  by  congress 
first  major  general,  June  17,  1775.  After  the  arrival  of  Wash- 
ington, in  July,  when  disposition  was  made  of  the  troops  for 
the  siege  of  Boston,  the  command  of  the  right  wing  of  the  ar- 
my at  Roxbury  was  entrusted  to  general  Ward.  He  resigned 
his  commission  in  April,  1776,  though  he  continued  some 
time  longer  in  command  at  the  request  of  Washington.  He 
afterwards  devoted  himself  to  the  duties  of  civil  life.  He  was 
a  member  of  congress  both  before  and  after  the  adoption  of 
the  present  constitution.  After  a  long  decline,  in  which  he 
exhibited  the  most  exemplary  patience,  he  died  at  Shrewsbu- 
ry, October  28, 1800,  aged  seventy  three  years.  He  was  a  man 
of  incorruptible  integrity.  So  fixed  and  unyielding  were  the 
principles  which  governed  him,  that  his  conscientiousness  in 
lesser  concerns  was  by  some  ascribed  to  bigotry. 

WARREN,  Joseph,  a  major-general  in  the  American  ar- 
my, during  the  revolutionary  war,  was  born  in  Roxbury, 
a  town  which  bounds  Boston,  Massachusetts,  in  1740,  In 
1755,  he  entered  college,  where  he  sustained  the  character  of 
a  youth  of  talents,  fine  manners,  and  of  a  generous,  independ- 
ent deportment,  united  to  great  personal  courage  and  perse- 
verance. An  anecdote  will  illustrate  his  fearlessness  and  de- 
termination at  that  age,  when  character  can  hardly  be  said  to 
be  formed.  Several  students  of  Warrens'  class  shut  them- 
selves in  a  room  to  arrange  some  college  affairs,  in  a  way 
which  they  knew  was  contrary  to  his  wishes,  and  barred  the 
door  so  effectually  that  he  could  not,  without  great  violence, 
force  it ;  but  he  did  not  give  o\  er  the  attempt  of  getting  among 
them,  for  perceiving  that  the  window  of  the  room  in  which 
they  were  assembled  was  open,  and  near  a  spout  which  ex- 
tended from  the  roof  of  the  building  to  the  ground,  he  went  to 
the  top  of  the  house,  slid  down  the  eaves,  seized  the  spout  and 
when  lie  had  descended  as  far' as  the  window,  threw  himself 
into  the  chamber  among  them.      At  that  instant  the  spout. 


WARREJN.  435 

which  was  decayed  and  very  weak,  gave  way  and  foil  to  the 
ground.     He  looked  at  it  without  emotion,  said  it  had  served 
his  purpose,  and  began  to  take  part  in  the  business.      He  was 
educated  at  Sarvard  college,  and  received  his  first  degree 
in  1759.     Directing  his  attention  to  medical  studies,  he,  in  a 
few  years,  became  one  of  the  most  eminent  physicians  in  Bos- 
ton. ■   But  he  lived  at  a  period  when  greater  objects  claimed 
his  attention,   than  those   which  related  particularly  to  his 
profession.     His  country  needed  his  efforts,  and  his  zeal  and 
courage  would  not  permit  him  to  shrink  from  any  labours  or 
dangers.     His  eloquence  and  his  talents  as  a  writer,  were 
displayed  on   many  occasions,   from  the  year  in  which  the 
itamp  act  was  passed,  to  the  commencement  of  the  war.     He 
was  a  hold  politician.     While  many  were  wavering  with  re- 
gard to  the  measures  which  should  be  adopted,  he  contended 
that  every  kind  of  taxation,  whether  external  or  internal,  was 
tyranny,  and  ought  immediately  to  be  resisted,  and  be  believed 
that  America  was  able  to  withstand  any  force  that  could  be 
sent  against  her.     From  the  year  1768,  he  was  a  principal 
member  of  the  secret  meeting  or  caucus  in  Boston,  which  had 
great  influence  on  the  concerns  of  the  country.     With  all  his 
boldness  and  decision,  and  zeal,  he  was  circumspect  and  wise. 
In  this  assembly  the  plans  of  defence  were  matured.     After 
the  destruction  of  the  tea,  it  was  no  longer  kept  a  secret.  He 
was  twice  chosen  the  public  orator  of  the  town,  on  the  anni- 
versary of  the  massacre,  and  his  orations  breathed  the  ener- 
gy of  a  great  and  daring  mind.    It  was  he,  who,  on  the  even- 
ing before  the  battle  of  Lexington,  obtained  information  of  the 
intended  expedition  against  Concord,  and  atten  o'clock  atnight 
despatched  an  express  to  Messrs.  Hancock  and  Adams,  who 
were  at  Lexington,  to  warn  them  of  their  danger.     He  him- 
self, on  the  next  day,  the  memorable  19th  of  April,  was  very 
active.  It  is  said  in  general  Heatii's  memoirs,  that  a  ball  took 
off  part  of  his  ear-lock.     In  the  confused  state  of  the  army, 
which  soon  assembled  at  Cambridge,  he  had  vast  influence  in 
preserving  order  among  the  troops.     After  the  departure  of 
Hancock  to  congress,  he  was  chosen  president  of  the  provin- 
cial congress  in  his  place.     Four  days  previous  t<jrthe  battle 
of  Bunker's  or  Breed's  hill,  he  received  his  commission  of  ma- 
jor-general.    When  the  intrenchments  were  made  upon  the 
fatal  spot,  to  encourage  the  men  within  the  lines,  he  went  down 
from  Cambridge  and  joined  them  as  a  volunteer,  on  the  event- 
ful day  of  the  battle,  June  17th.   Just  as  the  retreat  commen- 
ced, a  ball  struck  him  on  the  head,  and  he  died  in  the  trench- 
es, aged  thirty  five  years.     He  was  the  first  victim  of  rank 
that  fell  in  the  struggle  with  Great  Britain.     In  the  spring 
of  1776.  his  hones  were  taken  up  and  entombed  in  Boston,  on 


436  WARREN. 

Which  occasion,  as  he  had  been  grand  master  of  the  freema- 
sons in  America,  a  brother  mason,  and  an  eloquent  orator, 
pronounced  a  funeral  eulogy. 

In  this  action,  the  number  of  Americans  engaged  amoun- 
ted only  to  fifteen  hundred.  The  loss  of  the  British,  as  ac- 
knowledged by  general  Gage,  amounted  to  one  thousand  and 
fifty-four.  Nineteen  commissioned  officers  were  killed,  and 
seventy  more  were  wounded.  The  battle  of  Quebec,  in  1758, 
which  gave  Great  Britain  the  province  of  Canada,  was  not 
so  destructive  to  British  officers,  as  this  affair  of  a  slight  in- 
trenchment,  the  work  only  of  a  few  hours. 

The  Americans  lost  five  pieces  of  cannon.  Their  killed 
amounted  to  one  hundred  and  thirty  nine.  Their  wounded 
and  missing  to  three  hundred  and  fourteen.  Thirty  of  the 
former  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  conquerors.  They  particu- 
larly regretted  the  death  of  general  Warren.  To  the  purest 
patriotism  and  most  undaunted  bravery,  he  added  the  virtues 
of  domestic  life,  the  eloquence  of  an  accomplished  orator,  and 
the  wisdom  of  an  able  statesman. 

Thus  was  cut  off  in  the  flower  of  his  age.  this  gallant  hero, 
loved,  lamented,  the  theme  of  universal  regret  :  a  loss,  any 
time  deeply,  but  then,  most  poignantly  felt.  Though  he  did 
not  outlive  the  glories  of  that  great  occasion,  he  had  lived  long 
enough  for  fame.  It  needed  no  other  herald  of  his  actions 
than  the  simple  testimony  of  the  historian,  that  Warren  fell, 
foremost,  in  the  ranks  of  that  war  which  he  had  justified  by 
his  argument,  supported  by  his  energy,  and  signalized  by  his 
prowess.  The  monument  erected  hy  his  fellow  citizens,  on 
the  spot  where  he  poured  out  his  latest  breath,  commemorates 
at  once  his  achievements  and  a  people's  gratitude.  Though 
untimely  was  his  fall,  and  though  a  cloud  of  sorrow  over- 
spread every  countenance  at  the  recital  of  his  fate,  yet  if  the 
love  of  fame  be  the  noblest  passion  of  the  mind,  and  human 
nature  pant  for  distinction  in  the  martial  field,  perhaps  there 
never  was  a  moment  of  more  unfading  glory  offered  to  the 
Wishes  of  the  brave,  than  that  which  marked  the  exit  of  this 
heroic  officer.  Still,  who  will  not  lament  that  he  incautiously 
courted  the  post  of  danger,  while  more  important  occasions 
required  a  regard  to  personal  safety. 

Perhaps  his  fall  was  useful  to  his"  country,  as  it  was  glori- 
ous to  himself.  His  death  served  to  adorn  the  cause  for 
which  he  contended,  excited  emulation,  and  gave  a  pledge  of 
perseverance  and  ultimate  success.  In  the  grand  sacrifice, 
which  a  new  nation  was  that  day  to  celebrate  in  the  face 
of  the  world,  to  prove  their  sincerity  to  Heaven,  whose  Pro- 
vidence they  had  invoked,  the  noblest  victim  was  the  most 
suitable  sacrifice. 


WASHINGTON.  437 

There  are  few  names  in  the  annals  of  American  patriotism 
more  dearly  cherished  by  the  brave  and  good;  few  that  will 
shine  with  more  increasing  lustre,  as  the  obscurity  of  time 
grows  darker,  than  that  of  general  Warren.  He  will  he  the 
personal  representative  of  those  brave  citizens,  who  with  arms 
hastily  collected,  sprang  from  their  peacable  homes  to  resist 
aggression,  and  on  the  plains  of  Lexington  and  the  heights 
of  Charleston,  cemented  with  their  blood  the  foundation  of 
American  liberty. 

He  was  endowed  with  a  clear  and  vigorous  understanding, 
a  disposition  humane  and  generous:  qualities  which,  graced 
by  manners  affable  and  engaging,  rendered  him  the  itiol  of 
the  army  and  of  his  friends.  His  powers  of  speech  and  rea- 
soning commanded  respect.  His  professional  as  well  as  poli- 
tical abilities  were  of  the  highest  order.  He  had  been  an  ac- 
tive volunteer  in  several  skirmishes  which  had  occurred  since 
the  commencement  of  hostilities,  in  all  of  which  he  gave  strong- 
presages  of  capacity  and  distinction  in  the  profession  of  arms. 
But  the  fond  hopes  of  his  country  were  to  be  closed  in  death: 
not,  however,  until  he  had  sealed  with  his  blood  the  charter 
of  our  liberties;  nor  until  he  had  secured  that  permanence  of 
glory  with  which  we  encircle  the  memory,  whilst  we  cherish 
the  name  of  W.vruex. 

The  battle  of  Bunker  Hill  was,  in  many  respects,  one  of 
the  most  remarkable  conflicts  that  has  moistened  the  earth 
with  human  blood.  No  spirit  of  prophecy  is  required  to  fore- 
tel,  that  from  the  consequences  with  which  it  is  connected, 
and  which  it  may  be  said  to  have  guarranteed,  after  ages  v.  ill 
consider  it  one  of  the  most  interesting  of  all  battles,  and  that 
it  will  be  hallowed  by  the  gratitude  of  mankind,  as  among  the 
most  precious  and  beneficent  contests  ever  waged  in  behalf  of 
human  rights  and  human  happiness. 

Dr.  Warren  published  an  oration  in  1772,  and  another  in 
1775,  commemorative  of  the  5th  of  March,  1770. 

The  sword  of  general  Warren,  which  he  held  in  his  hand 
when  he  fell  at  Bunker  Hill,  is  now  in  the  possession  of  the 
honorable  William  Davis,  of  Plymouth,  Massachusetts,  and 
is  preserved  as  a  precious  relic.  It  was  purchased  by  an  A- 
merican  sailor,  from  the  servant  of  the  officer  who  took  the 
sword  from  the  grasp  of  the  deceased  patriot,  at  Halifax,  and 
its  identity  has  been  sufficiently  established. 

WASHINGTON,  George,*  commander  in  chief  of  the  A- 
merican  army,  during  the  revolutionary  war  with  Great  Bri- 
tain, and  first  president  of  the  United  States,  was  the  third 
son  of  Mr.  Augustine  Washington,  and  was  born  at  Bridges 
creek,  in  the  county  of  Westmoreland,  Virginia,  February 
12,  1782.     His  great  grand  father  had  emigrated  to  that  place 


438  WASHINGTON. 

from  the  north  of  England,  about  the  year  1657".  At  the  age 
often  years,  he  lost  his  father,  and  the  patrimonial  estate  de- 
scended to  his  elder  brother,  Mr.  Lawrence  Washington,  who, 
in  the  year  1740,  had  been  engaged  in  the  expedition  against 
Carthagena.  In  honour  of  the  British  admiral,  who  com- 
manded the  fleet  employed  in  that  enterprise,  the  estate  was 
called  Mount  Vernon.  At  the  age  of  fifteen,  agreeably  to  the 
wishes  of  his  brother,  as  well  as  to  his  own  urgent  request  to 
enter  into  the  British  navy,  the  place  of  a  midshipman  in  a 
vessel  of  war,  then  stationed  on  the  coast  of  Virginia,  was  ob- 
tained for  him.  Every  thing  was  in  readiness  for  bis  depar- 
ture, when  the  fears  of  a  timid  and  affectionate  mother  pre- 
vailed upon  him  to  abandon  his  proposed  career  on  the  ocean, 
and  were  the  means  of  retaining  him  upon  the  land,  to  be  the 
future  vindicator  of  his  country's  rights.  All  the  advantages 
of  education  which  he  enjoyed,  were  derived  from  a  private 
tutor,  who  instructed  him  in  English  literature  and  the  gene- 
ral principles  of  science,  as  well  as  in  morality  and  religion. 
After  his  disappointment,  with  regard  to  entering  the  navy, 
he  devoted  much  of  his  time  to  the  study  of  mathematics  ;  and 
in  the  practice  of  his  profession  as  a  surveyor,  he  had  an  op- 
portunity of  acquiring  that  information  respecting  the  value 
of  vacant  lands,  which,  afterwards,  greatly  contributed  to 
the  increase  of  his  private  fortune.  At  the  age  of  nineteen, 
when  the  militia  of  Virginia  were  to  be  trained  for  actual 
service,  he  was  appointed  an  adjutant  general,  with  the  rank 
of  major.  It  was  for  a  very  short  time  that  he  discharged  the 
duties  of  that  office.  In  the  year  1753,  the  plan  formed  by 
Fiance,  for  connecting  Canada  with  Louisiana  by  a  line  of 
posts,  and  thus  of  enclosing  the  British  colonies,  and  of  es- 
tablishing her  influence  over  the  numerous  tribes  of  Indians 
on  the  frontiers,  began  to  be  developed.  In  the  prosecution  of 
this  design,  possession  had  been  taken  of  a  tract  of  land,  then 
believed  to  be  within  the  province  of  Virginia.  Mr.  Dinwid- 
die,  the  lieutenant  governor,  being  determined  to  remonstrate 
against  the  proposed  encroachment  and  violation  of  the  trea- 
ties between  the  two  countries,  despatched  major  Washing- 
ton through  the  wilderness  to  the  Ohio,  to  deliver  a  letter  to 
the  commanding  officer  of  the  French,  and  also  to  explore 
the  country.  This  trust  of  danger  and  fatigue,  he  executed 
with  great  ability.  He  left  Williamsburg,  October  31,  1753, 
the  very  day  on  which  be  received  his  commission,  and  at  the 
frontier  settlement  of  the  English,  engaged  guides  to  conduct 
him  over  the  Alleghany  mountains. 

At  a  place  upon  the  Alleghany  called  Murdering  town, 
they  fell  in  with  a  hostile  Indian  who  was  one  of  the  party 
then  lying  in  wait,  and  who  fired  upon  them  not  ten  steps 


WASHINGTON.  439 

distant.  They  took  him  into  custody  and  kept  him  until  nine 
o'clock,  and  then  let  him  go.  To  avoid  the  pursuit  which 
(hey  presumed  would  be  commenced  in  the  morning,  they 
travelled  all  night.  Ou  reaching  the  Monongahela.  they  had 
a  hard  day's  work  to  make  a  raft  with  a  hatchet.  In  attempt- 
ing to  cross  the  river  to  reach  a  trailer's  house,  they  were  en- 
closed by  masses  of  ice.  In  order  to  stop  the  raft,  major 
Washington  put  down  his  setting  pole,  but  the  ice  came  with 
sue!)  force  against  it,  as  to  jerk  him  into  the  wrater.  He  saved 
himself  by  seizing  one  of  the  raft  logs.  With  difficulty  they 
landed  on  an  island  where  they  passed  the  night.  The  .old. 
was  so  severe,  that  the  pilot's  hands  and  feet  were  frozen. 
The  next  day  they  crossed  the  river  upon  the  ice.  Washing- 
ton arrived  at  Williamsburg,  January  16,  1754.  His  jour- 
nal, which  evinced  the  solidity  of  his  judgment  and  his  forti- 
tude, was  published. 

As  the  French  seemed  disposed  to  remain  on  the  Ohio,  it 
was  determined  to  raise  a  regiment  of  aboutthree  hundred  men 
to  maintain  the  claims  of  the  British  crown.  The  command 
was  given  to  Mr.  Fry  ;  and  major  Washington,  who  was  ap- 
pointed lieutenant  colonel,  marched  with  two  companies  ear- 
ly in  April,  1754,  in  advance  of  the  other  troops.  A  few 
miles  west  of  the  Great  Meadows,  he  surprised  a  French  en- 
campment in  a  dark  rainy  night,  and  only  one  man  escaped. 
Before  the  arrival  of  the  two  remaining  companies,  Mr.  Fry 
died,  and  the  command  devolved  on  colonel  Washington.  Be- 
ing joined  by  two  other  companies  of  regular  troops  from 
South  Carolina  and  New  York,  after  erecting  a  small  stock- 
ade at  the  Great  Meadows,  he  proceeded  towards  fort  Du 
Quesne,  which  had  been  built  but  a  short  time,  with  the  in- 
tention of  dislodging  the  French.  He  had  marched  only  thir- 
teen miles,  to  the  westernmost  foot  of  Laurel  Hill,  before  he 
received  information  of  the  approach  of  the  enemy  with  su- 
perior numbers,  and  was  induced  to  return  to  his  stockade. 
He  began  a  ditch  around  it,  and  called  it  fort  Necessity  ;  but 
the  next  day,  July  3,  he  was  attacked  by  fifteen  hundred 
men.  His  own  troops  were  only  four  hundred  in  number. 
The  action  commenced  at  ten  in  the  morning,  and  lasted  un- 
til dark.  A  part  of  the  Americans  fought  within  the  fort,  and 
a  part  in  the  ditch  filled  with  mud  and  water.  Colonel  Wash- 
ington was  himself  on  the  outside  of  the  fort  during  the  whole 
day.  The  enemy  fought  under  cover  of  the  trees  and  high 
grass.  In  the  course  of  the  night,  articles  of  capitulation 
were  agreed  upon.  The  garrison  were  allow ed  to  retain  their 
arms  and  baggage,  and  to  march  unmolested  to  the  inhabited 
parts  of  Virginia.  The  loss  of  the  Americans  in  killed  and 
wounded  was  supposed  to  be  about  a  hundred,  and  that  of  the 


440  WASHINGTON. 

enemy  about  two  hundred.    In  a  few  months  afterwards  or 
ders  were  received  for  settling  the  rank  of  the  Officers,   and 
those  who  were  commissioned  by  the  king  being  directed  to 
take  rank  of  the  provincial  officers,  Colonel  Washington  in- 
dignantly resigned  his  commission. 

He  now  retired  to  Mount  Vernon,  that  estate  by  the  death 
of  his  brother,  having  devolved  upon  him.  But  in  the  spring 
of  1755,  he  accepted  an  invitation  from  general  Braddock  to 
enter  his  family  as  a  volunteer  aid-de-camp  in  his  expedition 
to  the  Ohio.  He  proceeded  with  him  to  Will's  creek,  after- 
wards called  fort  Cumberland,  in  April.  After  the  troops 
had  marched  a  few  miles  from  this  place,  he  was  seized  with 
a  raging  fe\er;  but  refusing  to  remain  behind,  he  was  con- 
veyed in  a  covered  waggon.  By  his  advice  twelve  hundred 
men  were  detached  in  order  to  reach  fort  Du  Quesne  before  an 
expected  reinforcement  should  be  received  at  that  place. — 
These  disincumbercd  troops  were  commanded  by  Braddock 
himself,  and  colonel  Washington,  though  still  extremely  ill. 
insisted  upon  proceeding  with  them.  After  they  arrived  upon 
the  Monongahela  he  advised  the  general  to  employ  the  rang- 
ing companies  of  Virginia  to  scour  the  woods  and  prevent  am- 
buscades ;  but  his  advice  was  not  followed.  On  the  ninth  of 
July,  when  the  army  was  within  seven  miles  of  +he  fort,  Du 
Quesne,  the  enemy  commenced  a  sudden  and  furious  attack, 
being  concealed  by  the  woods  and  grass.  Washington  was 
the  only  aid  that  was  unwounded,  and  on  him  devohed  the 
whole  duty  of  carrying  the  orders  of  the  commander  in  chief. 
He  was  cool  and  fearless.  Though  he  had  two  horses  shot 
under  him,  and  four  balls  through  his  coat,  he  escaped  unhurt, 
while  every  officer  on  horseback  was  either  killed  or  wound- 
ed. Doctor  Craik,  the  physician  who  attended  him  in  his 
last  sickness,  was  present  in  this  battle,  and  says,  **  I  expect- 
ed every  moment  to  see  him  fall.  Nothing  but  the  superin- 
tending care  of  Providence  could  have  saved  him  from  the 
fate  of  all  around  him."  After  an  action  of  three  hours,  the 
troops  gave  way  in  all  directions,  and  colonel  Washington  and 
two  others,  brought  off  Braddock,  who  had  been  mortally 
wounded.  He  attempted  to  rally  the  retreating  troops  :  but, 
as  he  says  himself,  it  was  like  endeavouring  "  to  stop  the 
wild  bears  of  the  mountains."  The  conduct  of  the  regular 
troops  was  most  cowardly.  The  enemy  were  few  in  numbers 
and  had  no  expectation  of  victory.  In  a  sermon  occasioned 
by  this  expedition,  the  reverend  Dr.  Davies  of  Hano\er 
county,  thus  prophetically  expressed  himself:  4,as  a  re- 
markable instance  of  patriotism  I  may  point  out  to  the  public 
that  heroic  youth,  colonel  Washington,  whom  I  cannot  but 
hope  Providence  has  hitherto  preserved  in  so  signal  a  manner. 


WASHINGTON.  441 

for  some  important  service  to  his  country."  "For  this  pur- 
pose he  was  indeed  preserved,  and  at  the  end  of  twenty  years 
he  hegan  to  render  to  his  country  more  important  services, 
than  the  minister  of  Jesus  could  have  anticipated.  From 
1755,  to  1759,  he  commanded  a  regiment,  which  was  raised 
for  the  protection  of  the  frontiers. 

In  July,  1758,  another  expedition  was  undertaken  against 
fort  Du  Quesne,  in  which  Washington  commanded  the  Vir- 
ginia troops.  By  slow  marches  they  were  enabled,  on  the 
25th  of  November,  to  reach  fort  Du  Qnesne,  of  which  peace- 
able possession  was  taken,  as  the  enemy  on  the  preceding 
night  setting  it  on  fire,  had  abandoned  it,  and  proceeded  down 
the  Ohio.  The  works  in  this  place  were  repaired,  and  its 
name  was  changed  to  that  of  Fort  Pitt.  Colonel  Washing- 
ton now  resigned  his  commission. 

Soon  after  his  resignation  he  was  married  to  the  widow  of 
Mr.  Custis,  a  young  lady,  to  whom  he  had  been  for  some  time 
strongly  attached,  and  who,  to  a  large  fortune  and  a  fine  per- 
son, added  those  amiable  accomplishments,  which  fill  with  si- 
lent felicity  the  scenes  of  domestic  life.  His  attention  for  sev- 
eral years,  was  principally  directed  to  the  management  of  his 
estate,  which  had  now  become  considerable.  He  was,  at  this 
period,  a  respectable  member  of  the  legislature  of  Virginia, 
in  which  he  took  a  decided  part  in  opposition  to  the  principle 
of  taxation,  asserted  by  the  British  parliament.  He  also  ac- 
ted as  a  judge  of  a  county  court.  In  1774,  he  was  elected  a 
a  member  of  the  first  congress,  and  was  placed  on  all  those 
committees,  whose  duty  it  was  to  make  arrangements  for  de- 
fence. In  the  following  year,  after  the  battle  of  Lexington, 
when  it  was  determined  by  congress  to  resort  to  arms,  colo- 
nel Washington  was  unanimously  elected  commander  in  chief 
of  the  army  of  the  united  colonies.  All  were  satisfied  as  to 
his  qualifications,  and  the  delegates  from  New  England  were 
particularly  pleased  with  his  election,  as  it  would  tend  to  unite 
the  southern  colonies  cordially  in  the  war.  He  accepted  the 
appointment  with  diffidence,  and  expressed  his  intention  of 
receiving  no  compensation  for  his  services,  and  only  a  mere 
discharge  of  his  expenses.  He  immediately  repaired  to  Cam- 
bridge, in  the  neighbourhood  of  Boston,  where  he  arrived  on 
the  2d  of  July.  He  formed  the  army  into  three  divisions,  in 
order,  the  more  effectually,  to  inclose  the  enemy,  intrusting 
the  division  at  Roxbury  to  general  Ward,  the  division  on 
Prospect  and  Winter  hills  to  general  Lee,  and  commanding 
himself  the  centre  at  Cambridge.  Here  he  had  to  struggle 
with  great  difficulties,  with  the  want  of  ammunition,  clothing, 
and  magazines,  defect  of  arms  and  discipline,  and  the  evils  of 
short  enlistments  :  but  instead  of  vielding  to  despondence  he 

56 


442  WASHINGTON. 

bent  the  whole  force  of  his  mind  to  overcome  them.  He  soon 
made  the  alarming  discovery,  that  there  was  only  sufficient 
powder  on  hand  to  furnish  the  army  with  nine  cartridges  for 
each  man.  With  the  greatest  caution,  to  keep  this  fact  a  se- 
cret, the  utmost  exertions  were  employed  to  procure  a  sup- 
ply. A  vessel  which  was  despatched  to  Africa,  obtained,  in 
exchange  for  New  England  rum,  all  the  gunpowder  in  the 
British  factories :  and  in  the  beginning  of  winter,  captain 
Manly  captured  an  ordnance  brig,  which  furnished  the  Ameri- 
can army  with  the  precise  articles,  of  which  it  was  in  the 
greatest  want-  In  September,  general  Washington  despatch- 
ed Arnold  on  an  expedition  against  Quebec.  In  February, 
1776,  he  proposed  to  a  council  of  his  officers  to  cross  the  ice 
and  attack  the  enemy  in  Boston,  but  they  unanimously  disap- 
proved of  the  daring  measure.  It  was,  however,  soon  resolv- 
ed to  take  possession  of  the  heights  of  Dorchester.  This  was 
done  without  discovery,  on  the  night  of  the  4th  of  March, 
and  on  the  17th  the  enemy  found  it  necessary  to  evacuate  the 
town.  The  recovery  of  Boston  induced  congress  to  pass  a 
vote  of  thanks  to  general  Washington  and  his  brave  army. 

In  the  belief  that  the  efforts  of  the  British  would  be  direct- 
ed towards  the  Hudson,  he  hastened  the  army  to  New  York, 
where  he  himself  arrived  on  the  14th  of  April.  He  made 
every  exertion  to  fortify  the  city,  and  attention  was  paid  to 
the  forts  in  the  highlands.  While  he  met  the  most  embar- 
rassing difficulties,  a  plan  was  formed  to  assist  the  enemy  in 
seizing  his  person,  and  some  of  his  own  guards  engaged  in 
the  conspiracy  ;  but  it  was  discovered,  and  some  who  were 
concerned  in  it  were  executed.  In  the  beginning  of  July,  ge- 
neral Howe  landed  his  troops  at  Staten  Island  :  his  brother, 
lord  Howe,  who  commanded  the  fleet,  soon  arrived ;  and  as 
both  were  commissioners  for  restoring  peace  to  the  colonies, 
the  latter  addressed  a  letter  upon  the  subject,  to  "  George 
Washington,  Esquire  ;"  but  the  general  refused  to  receive  it, 
as  it  did  not  acknowledge  the  public  character  with  which  he 
was  invested  by  congress,  in  which  character  only  he  could 
have  any  intercourse  with  his  lordship.  Another  letter  was 
sent  to  "  George  Washington.  &c.  he.  &e."  This,  for  the 
same  reason,  was  rejected.  After  the  disastrous  battle  of 
Brooklyn,  on  the  27th  of  August,  in  which  Sterling  and  Sul- 
livan were  taken  prisoners,  and  of  which  he  was  only  a  spec- 
tator, he  withdrew  the  troops  from  Long  Island,  and  in  a  few 
days  he  resolved  to  withdraw  from  New  York.  At  Kipp's 
bay,  about  three  miles  from  the  city,  some  works  had  been 
thrown  up  to  oppose  the  enemy  ;  but  on  their  approach,  the 
American  troops  fled  with  precipitation.  Washington  rode 
towards  the  lines,  and  made  every  exertion  to  prevent  the 


WASHINGTON.  443 

disgraceful  flight.  Such  was  the  state  of  his  mind  at  this  mo- 
ment, that  he  turned  his  horse  towards  the  advancing  enemy, 
apparently  with  the  intention  of  rushing  upon  death  ;  but  his 
aids  seized  the  bridle  of  his  horse,  and  rescued  him  from  de- 
struction. New  York  was,  on  the  same  day,  September  15th, 
evacuated.  In  October  he  retreated  to  the  White  Plains, 
where,  on  the  28th,  a  considerable  action  took  place,  in  which 
the  Americans  were  overpowered..  After  the  loss  of  forts  Wash- 
ington and  Lee,  he  passed  into  New  Jersey,  in  November, 
and  was  pursued  by  a  triumphant  and  numerous  army.  His 
army  did  not  amount  to  three  thousand,  and  it  was  daily  di- 
minishing ;  his  men,  as  the  winter  commenced,  were  bare- 
footed and  almost  naked,  destitute  of  tents  and  of  utensils, 
with  which  to  dress  their  scanty  provisions ;  and  every  cir- 
cumstance tended  te  fill  the  mind  with  despondence.  But  ge- 
neral Washington  was  undismayed  and  firm.  He  showed 
himself  to  his  enfeebled  army  with  a  serene  and  unembarras- 
sed countenance,  and  they  were  inspired  with  the  resolution 
of  their  commander.  On  the  8th  of  December  he  was  obli- 
ged to  cross  the  Delaware  :  but  he  had  the  precaution  to  se- 
cure the  boats  for  seventy  miles  upon  the  river.  While  the 
British  were  waiting  for  the  ice  to  afford  them  a  passage,  as 
his  own  army  had  been  reinforced  by  several  thousand  men, 
he  formed  the  resolution  of  carrying  the  cantonments  of  the 
enemy  by  surprise.  On  the  night  of  the  25th  of  December,  he 
crossed  the  river,  nine  miles  above  Trenton,  in  a  storm  of 
snow  mingled  with  hail  and  rain,  witk  about  two  thousand 
four  hundred  men.  Two  other  detachments  were  unable  to 
effect  a  passage.  In  the  morning,  precisely  at  eight  o'clock, 
he  surprised  Trenton,  and  took  one  thousand  Hessians  pri- 
soners, one  thousand  stand  of  arms,  and  six  field  pieces. 
Twenty  of  the  enemy  were  killed,  and  of  the  Americans,  two 
were  killed,  and  two  frozen  to  death  ;  and  one  officer  and  four 
privates  wounded.  On  the  same  day  he  recrossed  the  Dela- 
ware, with  the  fruits  of  his  enterprise  ;  but  in  two  or  three 
days  passed  again  into  New  Jersey,  and  concentrated  his 
forces,  amounting  to  five  thousand,  at  Trenton.  On  the  ap- 
proach of  a  superior  enemy  under  Cornwallis,  January  2, 
1777,  he  drew  up  his  men  behind  Assumpinek  creek.  He  ex- 
pected an  attack  in  the  morning,  which  would  probably  re- 
sult in  a  ruinous  defeat.  At  this  moment,  when  it  was  hazard- 
ous, if  not  impracticable,  to  return  into  Pennsylvania,  he 
formed  the  resolution  of  getting  into  the  rear  of  the  enemy, 
and  thus  stop  them  in  their  progress  towards  Philadelphia. 
In  the  night,  he  silently  decamped,  taking  a  circuitous  route 
through  Allentown  to  Princeton.  A  sudden  change  of  the 
weather  to  severe  cold,  rendered  the  roads  favourable  for  his 


444  WASHINGTON. 

march.  About  sunrise  his  van  met  a  British  detachment  on 
its  way  to  join  Cornwallis,  and  was  defeated  by  it ;  but  as  he 
came  up,  he  exposed  himself  to  every  danger,  and  gained  a 
victory.  With  300  prisoners  he  then  entered  Princeton.  Du- 
ring this  march  many  of  his  soldiers  were  without  shoes,  and 
their  feet  left  the  marks  of  blood  upon  the  frozen  ground. 
This  hardship  and  their  want  of  repose,  induced  him  to  lead 
his  army  to  a  place  of  security  on  the  road  to  Morristown. 
Cornwallis  in  the  morning  broke  up  his  camp,  and  alarmed 
for  his  stores  at  Brunswick,  urged  the  pursuit.  Thus  the  mi- 
litary genius  of  the  American  commander,  under  the  blessing 
of  divine  Providence,  rescued  Philadelphia  from  the  threaten- 
ed danger,  obliged  the  enemy,  who  had  overspread  New  Jer- 
sey, to  return  to  the  neighbourhood  of  New  York,  and  revi- 
ved the  desponding  spirit  of  his  country.  Having  accomplish- 
ed these  objects,  he  retired  to  Morristown,  where  he  caused 
his  whole  army  to  be  inoculated  with  the  small  pox,  and  thus 
was  freed  from  the  apprehension  of  a  calamity  which  might 
impede  his  operations  during  the  next  campaign. 

On  the  last  of  May  he  removed  his  army  to  Middlebrook, 
about  ten  miles  from  Brunswick,  where  he  fortified  himself 
very  strongly.  An  ineffectual  attempt  was  made  by  sir  Wil- 
liam Howe  to  draw  him  from  his  position  by  inarching  to- 
wards  Philadelphia;  but  after  Howe's  return  to  New  York, 
he  moved  towards  the  Hudson,  in  order  to  defend  the  passe* 
in  the  mountains,  in  the  expectation  that  a  junction  with  Bur- 
goync,  who  was  then  upon  the  lakes,  would  be  attempted.  Af- 
ter the  British  general  sailed  from  New  York  and  entered 
the  Chesapeake  in  August,  general  Washington  marched  im- 
mediately for  the  defence  of  Philadelphia.  On  the  llth  of 
September  he  was  defeated  at  Brandywine,  with  the  loss  of 
nine  hundred  in  killed  and  wounded.  A  few  days  afterwards, 
as  he  was  pursued,  he  turned  upon  the  enemy,  determined  up- 
on another  engagement;  but  a  heavy  rain  so  damaged  the. 
arms  and  ammunition,  that  he  was  under  the  absolute  neces- 
sity of  again  retreating.  Philadelphia  was  entered  by  Corn- 
wallis on  the  26th  of  September.  On  the  4th  of  October  the 
American  commander  made  a  well  planned  attack  upon  the 
British  camp  at  Germantown;  but  in  consequence  of  the  dark- 
ness of  the  morning,  and  the  imperfect  discipline  of  the  troops, 
it  terminated  in  the  loss  of  twelve  hundred  men  in  killed, 
wounded  and  prisoners.  In  December  he  went  into  winter 
quarters  at  Valley  Forge,  on  the  west,  side  of  the  Schuylkill, 
between  twenty  and  thirty  miles  from  Philadelphia.  Here 
his  army  was  in  the  greatest  distress  for  want  of  provisions, 
and  he  was  reduced  to  the  necessity  of  sending  out  parties  to 
Seize  what  they  could  find.    About  the  same  time  a  combina 


WASHINGTON.  445 

?ion  was  formed  to  remove  the  commander  in  chief,  and  to 
appoint  in  his  place  general  Gates,  whose  successes  of  late 
had  given  him  a  high  reputation.  But  the  name  of  Wash- 
ington was  too  dear  to  the  great  hody  of  Americans  to  admit 
of  such  a  change.  Notwithstanding  the  discordant  materials, 
of  which  his  army  was  composed,  there  was  something  in  his 
character  which  enabled  him  to  attach  both  his  officers  and 
soldiers  so  strongly  to  him,  that  no  distress  could  weaken 
their  affection,  nor  impair  the  veneration  in  which  he  was 
generally  held.  Without  this  attachment  to  him  the  army 
must  have  been  dissolved.  General  Conway,  who  was  con- 
cerned in  this  faction,  being  wounded  in  a  duel  with  general 
Cadwalader,  and  thinking  his  wound  mortal,  wrote  to  gen- 
eral Washington,  "you  are,  in  my  eyes,  the  great  and  good 
man."  On  the  1st  of  February,  1778.  there  were  about  four 
thousand  men  in  camp  unfit  for  duty  for  want  of  clothes.  Of 
these  scarcely  a  man  had  a  pair  of  shoes.  The  hospitals  also 
were  filled  with  the  sick.  At  this  time  the  enemy,  if  they 
had  marched  out  of  their  winter  quarters,  would  easily  have 
dispersed  the  American  army.  The  apprehension  of  the  ap- 
proach of  a  French  fleet,  inducing  the  British  to  concentrate 
their  forces,  when  they  evacuated  Philadelphia  on  the  17th 
of  June,  and  marched  towards  New-York,  general  Washing- 
ton followed  them.  Contrary  to  the  advice  of  a  council,  he 
engaged  in  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  on  the  28th,  the  result  of 
which  made  an  impression  favorable  to  the  cause  of  America. 
He  slept  in  his  cloak  on  the  field  of  battle,  intending  to  renew 
the  attack  the  next  morning,  but  at  midnight  the  British 
marched  off  in  such  silence,  as  not  to  be  discovered.  Their 
loss  in  killed  was  about  three  hundred,  and  that  of  the  Ame- 
ricans sixty-nine. 

As  the  campaign  now  closed  in  the  middle  states,  the  Ame- 
rican army  went  into  winter  quarters  in  the  neighborhood  of 
the  highlands  upon  the  Hudson.  Thus  after  the  vicissitudes 
of  two  years  both  armies  were  brought  back  to  the  point  from 
which  they  set  out.  During  the  year  1779,  general  Washing- 
ton remained  in  the  neighborhood  of  New  York.  In  Janua- 
ry, 1780,  in  a  winter  memorable  for  its  severity,  his  utmost 
exertions  were  necessary  to  save  the  army  from  dissolution. 
The  soldiers  in  general  submitted  with  heroic  patience  to  the 
want  of  provisions  and  clothes.  At  one  time  they  eat  every 
kind  of  horse  food  but  hay.  Their  sufferings  at  length  were 
so  great,  that  in  March  two  of  the  Connecticut  regiments 
mutinied,  but  the  mutiny  was  suppressed  and  the  ringleaders 
secured.  In  September  the  treachery  of  Arnold  was  detect- 
ed. In  the  winter  of  1781,  such  were  again  the  privations  of 
the  army,  that  a  part  of  the  Pennsylvania  line  revolted,  and 


446  WASHINGTON. 

marched  home.  Such,  however,  was  still  their  patriotism, 
that  they  delivered  some  British  emissaries  to  general  Wayne, 
who  hanged  them  as  spies.  Committing  the  defence  of  the 
posts  on  the  Hudson  to  general  Heath,  general  Washington 
in  August  marched  with  count  Rochamheau  for  the  Chesa- 
peak,  to  co-operate  with  the  French  fleet  there.  The  siege 
of  Yorktown  commenced  on  the  28th  of  September,  and  on 
the  10th  of  October  he  reduced  Cornwallis  to  the  necessity 
of  surrendering  with  upwards  of  seven  thousand  men,  to  the 
combined  armies  of  America  and  France.  The  day  after  the 
capitulation,  he  ordered  that  those  who  were  under  arrest, 
should  be  pardoned,  and  that  divine  service  in  acknowledg- 
ment of  the  interposition  of  Providence  should  be  performed 
in  all  the  brigades  and  divisions.  This  event  filled  America 
with  joy,  and  was  the  means  of  terminating  the  war. 

Few  events  of  importance  took  place  in  1782.  On  the  25th 
November,  1783,  New  York  was  evacuated  by  the  British, 
and  he  entered  it  accompanied  by  governor  Clinton  and  ma- 
ny respectable  citizens.  On  the  19th  of  April  a  cessation  of 
hostilities  was  proclaimed.  On  the  4th  of  December,  he  took 
his  farewell  of  his  brave  comrades  in  arms.  At  noon  the 
principal  officers  of  the  army  assembled  at  Frances'  tavern, 
and  their  beloved  commander  soon  entered  the  room.  His 
emotions  were  too  strong  to  be  concealed.  Filling  a  glass 
with  wine,  he  turned  to  them  and  said  "  witli  a  heart  full  of 
love  and  gratitude,  I  now  take  leave  of  you  ;  I  most  devoutly 
wish  that  your  latter  days  may  be  as  prosperous  and  happy 
as  your  former  ones  have  been  glorious  and  honourable. " 
Having  drank,  he  added,  "I  cannot  come  to  each  of  you  to 
take  my  leave,  but  shall  be  obliged  to  you  if  each  of  you  will 
oome  and  take  me  by  the  hand."  General  Knox,  being  near- 
est, turned  to  him.  Incapable  of  utterance,  general  Wash- 
ington grasped  his  hand,  and  embraced  him.  In  the  most  af- 
fectionate manner  he  took  his  leave  of  each  succeeding  officer. 
In  every  eye  was  the  tear  of  dignified  sensibility,  and  not  a 
word  was  articulated  to  interrupt  the  silence  and  tenderness  of 
the  scene.  Ye  men  who  delight  in  blood,  slaves  of  ambition  ! 
When  your  work  of  carnage  was  finished,  could  you  thus  part 
with  your  companions  in  crime  ?  Leaving  the  room,  general 
Washington  passed  through  the  light  infantry  and  walked  to 
Whitehall,  where  a  barge  waited  to  carry  him  to  Powles' 
Hook.  The  whole  company  followed  in  mute  procession  with 
dejected  countenances.  When  he  entered  the  barge  he  turned 
to  them,  and  waving  his  hat  bade  them  a  silent  adieu,  receiv- 
ing from  them  the  same  last  affectionate  compliment.  On 
the  23d  of  December  he  resigned  his  commission  to  congress, 
then  assembled  at  Annapolis.     Here  the  expressions  of  th« 


WASHINGTON.  447 

gratitude  of  bis  countrymen  in  affectionate  addresses,  poured 
in  upon  him,  and  lie  received  every  testimony  of  respect  and 
veneration. 

In  1787,  he  was  persuaded  to  take  a  seat  in  the  convention 
which  formed  the  present  constitution  of  the  United  States. 
In  1789,  he  was  unanimously  elected  president  of  the  United 
States.  In  April  he  left  Mount  Vernon  to  proceed  to  New 
York,  and  to  enter  on  the  duties  of  his  office.  He  every  where 
received  testimonies  of  respect  and  love.  On  the  13th  of 
April  he  arrived  at  New  York,  and  he  was  inaugurated  first 
president  of  the  United  States.  At  the  close  of  his  first  term 
of  four  years,  he  prepared  a  valedictory  address  to  the  Ameri- 
can people,  anxious  to  return  again  to  the  scenes  of  domes- 
tic life  ;  but  the  earnest  entreaties  of  his  friends,  and  the  pe- 
culiar situation  of  his  country,  induced  him  to  be  a  candidate 
for  a  second  election.  At  the  expiration  of  his  second  term, 
he  determined  irrevocably  to  withdraw  to  the  shades  of  pri- 
vate life.  He  published  in  September,  1796,  his  farewell  ad- 
dress to  the  people  of  the  United  States,  which  ought  to  be 
engraven  upon  the  hearts  of  his  countrymen. 

He  then  retired  to  Mount  Vernon,  giving  to  the  world  an 
example,  most  humiliating  to  its  emperors  and  kings  :  the  ex- 
ample of  a  man,  voluntarily  disrobing  himself  of  the  highest 
authority,  and  returning  to  private  life,  with  a  character, 
having  upon  it  no  stain  of  ambition,  of  covetousness,  of  pro- 
fusion, of  luxury,  of  oppression,  or  of  injustice. 

In  1798,  an  army  was  raised,  and  he  was  appointed  com 
mander  in  chief. 

On  the  13th  of  December,  1799,  while  attending  to  some 
improvements  upon  his  estate,  he  was  exposed  to  a  light  rain, 
which  wetted  his  neck  and  hair.  Unapprehensive  of  danger, 
he  passed  the  afternoon  in  his  usual  manner,  but  at  night  he 
was  seized  with  an  inflammatory  affection  of  the  windpipe. 
The  disease  commenced  with  a  violent  ague,  accompanied 
with  some  pain,  and  a  sense  of  stricture  in  the  throat,  a 
cough,  and  a  difficult  deglutition,  which  was  soon  succeeded 
by  fever,  and  a  quick  and  laborious  respiration.  About  twelve 
or  fourteen  ounces  of  blood  were  taken  from  him.  In  the  morn 
ing,  his  family  physician,  doctor  Craik,  was  sent  for  ;  but  the 
utmost  exertions  of  medical  skill  were  applied  in  vain.  To 
his  friend  and  physician  who  sat  on  his  bed,  and  took  his 
head  in  his  lap,  he  said,  with  difficulty,  "  Doctor,  I  am  dy- 
ing, and  have  been  dying  for  a  long  time ;  but  I  am  not  afraid 
to  die."  Respiration  became  more  and  more  protracted  and 
imperfect,  until  half  past  eleven  on  Saturday  night,  when, 
retaining  the  full  possession  of  his  intellect,  he  expired  with- 
out a  struggle.    Thus,  on  the  14th  of  December,  1799,  in  thr- 


448  WASHINGTON. 

sixty  eighth  year  of  his  age,  died  the  father  of  his  country, 
"  them  an  first  in  war,  first  in  peace,  and  first  in  the  hearts  of 
his  fellow  citizens."  This  event  spread  a  gloom  over  the 
country,  and  the  tears  of  America  proclaimed  the  services 
and  virtues  of  the  hero  and  sage,  and  exhibited  a  people  not 
insensible  to  his  worth. 

General  Washington  was  rather  above  the  common  stature ; 
his  frame  was  robust,  and  his  constitution  vigorous.  His  ex- 
terior created  in  the  beholder  the  idea  of  strength  united  with 
manly  gracefulness.  His  eyes  were  of  a  grey  colour,  and  his 
complexion  light.  His  manners  were  rather  reserved  than 
free.  His  person  and  whole  deportment  exhibited  an  unaf- 
fected and  indescribable  dignity,  unmingled  with  haughtiness, 
of  which  all  who  approached  him  were  sensible.  The  attach- 
ment of  those  who  possessed  his  friendship  was  ardent,  but  al- 
ways respectful.  His  temper  was  humane,  benevolent,  and 
conciliatory  ;  but  there  was  a  quickness  in  his  sensibility  to 
any  thing  apparently  offensive,  which  experience  had  taught 
him  to  watch  and  correct. 

He  conducted  the  war  with  that  consummate  prudence  and 
wisdom,  which  the  situation  of  his  country  and  the  state  of  his 
army  demanded.  He  also  possessed  a  firmness  of  resolution, 
which  neither  dangers  nor  difficulties  could  shake. 

WASHINGTON,  William,  lieutenant  colonel  comman- 
dant of  a  continental  regiment  of  dragoons  during  the  revo- 
lutionary war,  was  the  eldest  son  of  Baily  Washington,  Esq. 
of  Stafford  county,  in  the  state  of  Virginia. 

First  among  the  youth  of  Virginia  who  hastened  to  the 
standard  of  his  country,  on  the  rupture  between  Great  Bri- 
tain and  her  colonies,  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  a 
company  of  infantry  in  the  third  regiment  of  the  Virginia 
line,  commanded  by  colonel,  afterwards  brigadier  general, 
Mercer.  In  no  corps  in  our  service  was  the  substantial 
knowledge  of  the  profession  of  arms  more  likely  to  be  acquired. 

Here  Washington  learnt  the  rudiments  of  war.  He  fought 
with  this  gallant  regiment  at  York  Island,  and  on  the  retreat 
through  New  Jersey,  sharing  with  distinguished  applause  in 
that  disastrous  period,  its  difficulties,  its  dangers  and  its  glo- 
ry. When  afterwards  the  commander  in  chief  struck  at  co- 
lonel  Ralle,  stationed  with  a  body  of  Hessians  in  Trenton, 
captain  Washington  was  attached  to  the  van  of  one  of  the  as- 
sailing columns,  and  in  that  daring  and  well  executed  enter- 
prise received  a  musket  ball  through  his  hand,  bravely  lead- 
ing on  his  company  against  the  arraying  enemy. 

The.  commander  in  chief  having  experienced  the  extreme 
difficulties  to  which  lie  had  been  exposed  during  the  prece- 
ding campaign,  by  his  want  of  cavalry,  was,  shortly  after  this 


WASHINGTON.  449 

period,  in  consequence  of  his  suggestions  to  congress,  author- 
ised to  raise  three  regiments  of  light  dragoons.  To  the  com- 
mand of  one  of  these  he  appointed  lieutenant  colonel  Baylor 
one  of  his  aid-decamps.  To  this  regiment  captain  Washing- 
ton was  transferred  with  the  rank  of  major,  and  returned  to 
Virginia  for  the  purpose  of  assisting  in  recruiting  the  regiment. 
As  soon  as  the  corps  was  completed,  Baylor  joined  the 
main  army  ;  his  regiment  was,  in  1778,  surprised  by  a  detach- 
ment of  the  British,  led  by  major  general  Gray,  and  suffered 
extremely.  Washington  fortunately  escaped ;  and  in  the 
course  of  the  succeeding  year,  or  early  in  1780,  he  was  de- 
tached with  the  remains  of  Bland's,  Baylor's,  and  Moylan's 
regiments  of  horse,  to  the  army  of  major  general  Lincoln,  in 
South  Carolina,  where  he  was  constantly  employed  with  the 
light  troops,  and  experienced,  with  some  flashes  of  fortune, 
two  severe  blows ;  first  at  Monk's  Corner,  where  he  comman- 
ded our  horse,  and  last  at  Leneau's  ferry,  when  he  was  se- 
cond to  lieutenant  colonel  White,  of  Moylan's  regiment. 
These  repeated  disasters  so  reduced  our  calvary,  that  White 
and  Washington  retired  from  the  field  and  repaired  to  the 
northern  confines  of  North  Carolina  for  the  purpose  of  repair- 
ing their  heavy  losses.  It  was  here  that  they  applied  to  ge- 
neral Gates  for  the  aid  of  his  name  and  authority  to  expedite 
the  restoration  and  equipment  of  their  regiments,  that  they 
might  be  ready  to  take  the  field  under  his  orders.  This  salu- 
tary and  proper  request  was  injudiciously  disregarded  :  from 
which  omission  very  injurious  consequences  seem  to  have  re- 
sulted in  the  sequel. 

After  the  defeat  of  general  Gates  on  the  sixteenth  of  the  fol- 
lowing August,  it  will  be  recollected  that  the  American  ge- 
neral retired  to  Hillsborough,  from  whence  he  returned  to 
Salisbury. 

Lieutenant  colonel  Washington,  with  his  cavalry,  now  ac- 
companied him,  and  formed  a  part  of  the  light  corps  placed 
by  Gates  under  the  direction  of  brigadier  Morgan.  He  re- 
sumed his  accustomed  active  and  vigorous  service,  and  was 
in  the  execution  of  the  trust  confided  to  Morgan. 

During  this  period  he  carried,  by  an  extraordinary  strata- 
gem, the  post  at  Rudglcy's  which  drew  from  lord  Cornwallis 
the  following  letter  to  lieuteuant  colonel  Tarleton.  "  Rudg- 
ley  will  not  be  made  a  brigadier.  He  surrendered,  without 
firing  a  shot,  himself  and  one  hundred  and  three  rank  and  file, 
to  the  cavalry  only.  A  deserter  of  Morgan's  assures  us  that 
the  infantry  never  came  within  three  miles  of  the  house." 

Greene  now  succeeded  Gates,  when  brigadier  Morgan,  with 
the  light  corps,  was  detached  to  hang  upon  the  enemy's  lef^ 
flank,  and  to  threaten  Ninety-Six, 


450  WASHINGTON. 

The  battle  of  the  Cowpens  ensued,  in  which  Washington, 
at  the  head  of  our  horse,  acquired  fresh  laurels.  He  contin- 
ued with  the  light  corps,  performing  with  courage  and  preci- 
sion the  duties  assigned  him  until  the  junction  of  the  two  di- 
visions of  the  American  army  at  Guilford  court-house.  Soon 
after  this  event  a  more  powerful  body  of  horse  and  foot  was 
selected  by  general  Greene,  and  placed  under  colonel  Wil- 
liams of  which  Washington  and  his  cavalry  were  a  constitu- 
ent part. 

In  the  eventful  and  trying  retreat  which  ensued,  lieutenant 
colonel  Washington  contributed  his  full  share  to  the  mainte- 
nance of  the  measures  of  Williams,  which  terminated  so  pro- 
pitiously to  our  arms,  and  so  honourably  to  the  light  troops 
and  their  commander.  After  our  repassage  of  the  Dan, 
Washington  and  his  horse  were  again  placed  in  the  van,  and 
with  Howard  and  Lee,  led  by  Williams,  played  that  arduous 
game  of  marches,  countermarches,  and  manoeuvres,  which 
greatly  contributed  to  baffle  the  skilful  display  of  talents  and 
enterprise,  exhibited  by  lord  Cornwallis  in  his  persevering 
attempt  to  force  Greene,  at  the  head  of  an  inferior  army,  to 
battle,  or  to  cut  him  off  from  his  approaching  reinforcements 
and  approaching  supplies. 

Colonel  Washington  acted  a  very  distinguished  part  in  the 
battles  of  Guilford,  Hobkick's  Hill  and  Eutaws  ;  and  through- 
out the  arduous  campaign  of  1781  ;  always  at  his  post,  deci- 
ded, firm  and  brave,  courting  danger,  and  contemning  difficul- 
ty. His  eminent  services  were  lost  to  the  army  from  the  battle 
of  the  Eutaws,  where,  to  its  great  regret,  he  was  made  prison- 
er :  nor  did  he  afterwards  take  any  part  in  the  war,  as  from 
the  period  of  his  exchange  nothing  material  occurred,  the  re- 
spective armies  being  confined  to  minor  operations,  produced 
by  the  prospect  of  peace.  While  a  prisoner  in  Charleston, 
Washington  became  acquainted  with  Miss  Elliott,  a  young 
lady  in  whom  concentred  the  united  attractions  of  respecta- 
ble descent,  opulence,  polish,  and  beauty.  The  gallant  sol- 
dier soon  became  enamored  with  his  amiable  acquaintance, 
and  afterwards  married  her.  This  happened  in  the  spring  of 
17S2  ;  and  he  established  himself  in  South  Carolina  at  Sandy 
Hill,  the  ancestral  seat  of  his  wife. 

Washington  seems  to  have  devoted  his  subsequent  years  to 
domestic  duties,  rarely  breaking  in  upon  them  by  attention  to 
public  affairs,  and  then  only  as  a  member  of  the  state  legis- 
lature. He  possessed  a  stout  frame,  being  six  feet  in  height, 
broad,  strong,  and  corpulent.  His  occupations  and  his  amuse- 
ments applied  to  the  body,  rather  than  to  the  mind,  to  the 
cultivation  of  which  he  did  not  bestow  much  time  or  applica- 
tion :  nor  was  his  education  of  the  sort  to  excite  such  habits. 


WAYNE.  451 

being  only  calculated  to  fit  a  man  for  the  common  business  of 
life.  In  temper  he  was  good  humoured,  in  disposition  amia- 
ble, in  heart  upright,  generous,  and  friendly  ;  in  manners 
lively,  innocent,  and  agreeable. 

His  military  exploits  announce  his  grade  and  character  in 
arms.  Bold,  collected,  and  persevering,  he  preferred  the 
heat  of  action  to  the  collection  and  sifting  of  intelligence,  to 
the  calculations  and  combinations  of  means  and  measures, 
and  was  better  fitted  for  the  field  of  battle,  than  for  the  drudge- 
ry of  camp,  and  the  watchfulness  of  preparation.  Kind  to  his 
soldiers,  his  system  of  discipline  was  rather  lax.  and  some- 
times subjected  him  to  injurious  consequences,  when  close  to 
a  sagacious  and  vigilant  adversary. 

Lieutenant  colonel  Washington  was  selected  by  his  illustri- 
ous relation  when  he  accepted  the  command  of  the  army  dur- 
ing the  presidency  of  Mr.  Adams  as  one  of  his  staff,  with  the 
rank  of  brigadier  general,  a  decided  proof  of  the  high  value 
attached  by  the  best  judge  in  America  to  his  military  talents. 
Leading  a  life  of  honor,  of  benevolence  and  hospitality,  in 
the  bosom  of  his  family  and  friends,  during  which,  until  its 
last  two  years,  he  enjoyed  high  health,  this  gallant  soldier 
died,  after  a  tedious  indisposition,  leaving  a  widow,  and  a  son 
and  a  daughter,  the  only  issue  of  his  marriage. 

WAYNE,  Anthony,  a  major-general  in  the  American  ar- 
my, occupies  a  conspicuous  station  among  the  heroes  and  pat- 
riots of  the  American  revolution.  He  was  born  in  the  year 
1745,  in  Chester  county,  in  the  state,  then  colony  of  Penn- 
sylvania. His  father,  who  was  a  respectable  farmer,  was 
many  years  a  representative  for  the  county  of  Chester,  in  the 
general  assembly,  before  the  revolution.  His  grandfather, 
who  was  distinguished  for  his  attachment  to  the  principles  of 
liberty,  bore  a  captain's  commission  under  king  William,  at 
the  battle  of  the  Boyne.  Anthony  Wayne  succeeded  his  fath- 
er as  a  representative  for  the  county  of  Chester,  in  the  year 
1773  ;  and  from  his  first  appearance  in  public  life,  distinguish- 
ed himself  as  a  firm  and  decided  patriot.  He  opposed,  with 
much  ability,  the  unjust  demands  of  the  mother  rountry,  and 
in  connexion  with  some  gentlemen  of  distinguished  talents, 
was  of  material  service  in  preparing  the  way  for  the  firm 
and  decisive  part  which  Pennsylvania  took  in  the  general  con- 
test. 

In  1775,  he  was  appointed  to  the  command  of  a  regiment, 
which  his  character  enabled  him  to  raise  in  a  few  weeks,  in 
his  native  county.  In  the  same  year,  lie  was  d-'tached  under 
general  Thompson  into  Canada.  In  the  defeat  which  follow- 
ed, in  which  general  Thompson  was  made  prisoner,  colonel 
WTayne,  though  wounded,  displayed  great  gallantry  and  good 


45-2  WAYNE. 

conduct,  in  collecting  and  bringing  off,  the  scattered  and  bro- 
ken bodies  of  troops. 

In  the  campaign  of  1776,  he  served  under  general  Gates, 
at  Ticonderoga,  and  was  highly  esteemed  by  that  officer  for 
both  his  bravery  and  skill  as  an  engineer.  At  the  close  of  that 
campaign  he  was  created  a  brigadier-general. 

At  the  battle  of  Brandy  wine,  he  behaved  with  his  usual  bra- 
very, and  for  a  long  time  opposed  the  progress  of  the  enemy 
at  Chad's  ford.  In  this  action,  the  inferiority  of  the  Amer- 
icans in  numbers,  discipline  and  arms,  gave  them  little  chance 
of  success;  but  the  peculiar  situation  of  the  public  mind  was 
supposed  to  require  a  battle  to  be  risked  ;  the  ground  was 
bravely  disputed,  and  the  action  was  not  considered  as  deci- 
sive. The  spirits  of  the  troops  were  preserved  by  a  belief 
that  the  loss  of  the  enemy  had  equalled  their  own.  As  it  was 
the  intention  of  the  American  commander  in  chief  to  hazard 
another  action  on  the  first  favorable  opportunity  that  should 
offer,  general  Wayne  was  detached  with  his  division,  to  har- 
rass  the  enemy  by  every  means  in  his  power.  The  British 
troops  were  encamped  at  Tredyffrin,  and  general  Wayne  was 
stationed  about  three  miles  in  the  rear  of  their  left  wing  near 
the  Paoli  tavern,  and  from  the  precautions  he  had  taken,  he 
considered  himself  secure;  but  about  eleven  o'clock,  on  the 
« night  of  the  20th  September,  major  general  Gray,  having 
driven  in  his  pickets,  suddenly  attacked  him  with  fixed  bayo- 
nets. Wayne,  unable  to  withstand  the  superior  number  of 
bis  assailants,  was  obliged  to  retreat:  but  formed  again  at  a 
3mall  distance,  having  lost  about  150  killed  and  wounded.  As 
blame  was  attached,  by  some  of  the  officers  of  the  army,  to 
general  Wayne,  for  allowing  himself  to  be  surprised  in  this 
manner,  he  demanded  a  court  martial,  which  after  examining 
the  necessary  evidence,  declared  that  he  had  done  every  thing 
to  be  expected  from  an  active,  brave,  and  vigilant  officer  ;  and 
acquitted  him  with  honour. 

A  neat  marble  monument  has  been  recently  erected  on  the 
battle  ground,  to  the  memory  of  the  gallant  men  who  fell  on 
the  night  of  the  20th  September,  1777. 

Shortly  after  was  fought  the  battle  of  Germantown,  in  which 
he  greatly  signalized  himself  by  his  spirited  manner  of  lead- 
ing his  men  into  action.  In  this  action,  he  had  one  horse  shot 
under  him,  and  another  as  he  was  mounting  :  and  at  the  same 
instant,  received  slight  wounds  in  the  left  foot  and  left 
hand. 

In  all  councils  of  war,  general  Wayne  was  distinguished  for 
supporting  the  most  energetic  and  decisive  measures.  In  the 
one  previous  to  the  battle  of  Monmouth,  he  and  general  Cad- 
waladcr  were  the  only  officers  decidedly  in  favour  of  attack- 


WAYNE.  455 

ing  the  British  army.  The  American  officers  are  said  to  have 
been  influenced  by  the  opinions  of  the  Europeans.  The  baron 
de  Steuben,  and  generals  Lee  and  Du  Portail,  whose  milita- 
ry skill  was  in  high  estimation,  had  warmly  opposed  an  en- 
gagement, as  too  hazardous  :  but  general  Washington,  whose 
opinion  was  in  favour  of  an  engagement,  made  such  disposi- 
tion as  would  be  most  likely  to  lead  to  it.  In  that  action,  so 
honourable  to  the  American  arms,  general  Wayne  was  con- 
spicuous in  the  ardour  of  his  attack.  General  Washington, 
in  his  letter  to  congress,  observes,  "  Were  I  to  conclude  my 
account  of  this  day's  transactions  without  expressing  my  ob- 
ligations to  the  officers  of  the  army  in  general,  I  should  do 
injustice  to  their  merit,  and  violence  to  my  own  feelings. 
They  seemed  to  vie  with  each  other  in  manifesting  their  zeal 
and  bravery.  The  catalogue  of  those  who  distinguished  them- 
selves, is  too  long  to  admit  of  particularizing  individuals : 
I  cannot,  however,  forbear  mentioning  brigadier  general 
Wayne,  whose  good  conduct  and  bravery  throughout  the 
whole  action,  deserves  particular  commendation." 

In  July,  1779,  the  American  commander  in  chief  having 
conceived  a  design  of  attacking  the  strong  post  of  Stony 
Point,  committed  the  charge  of  this  enterprise  to  genera! 
Wayne.  The  garrison  was  composed  of  six  hundred  men, 
principally  Highlanders,  commanded  by  lieutenant  colonel 
Johnson.  Stony  Point  is  a  considerable  height,  the  base  of 
which,  on  the  one  side,  is  washed  by  the  Hudson  river,  and 
on  the  other  is  covered  by  a  morass,  over  which  there  is  but 
one  crossing  place.  On  the  top  of  this  hill  was  the  fort :  for- 
midable batteries  of  heavy  artillery  were  planted  on  it,  in 
front  of  which,  breast-works  were  advanced,  and  half  way 
down  was  a  double  row  of  abattis.  The  batteries  commanded 
the  beach  and  the  crossing  place  of  the  morass.  Several  ves- 
sels of  war  were  also  in  the  river,  whose  guns  commanded 
the  foot  of  the  hill.  At  noon,  on  the  15th  of  July,  general 
Wayne  marched  from  Sandy  Beach,  and  arrived  at  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  within  a  mile  and  a  Half  of  the  fort, 
where  he  made  the  necessary  disposition  for  the  assault.  Af- 
ter reconnoitering  the  situation  of  the  enemy,  at  half  past  ele- 
ven, he  led  his  troops  with  unloaded  muskets  and  fixed  bayo- 
nets, and  without  firing  a  single  gun,  completely  carried  the 
fort,  and  made  the  garrison,  amounting  to  five  hundred  and 
forty  three,  (the  rest  being  killed,)  prisoners.  In  the  attack, 
while  at  the  head  of  Febiger's  regiment,  general  Wayne  re- 
ceived a  wound  in  the  head  with  a  musket-ball,  which  in  the 
heat  of  the  conflict,  supposing  mortal,  and  anxious  to  expire 
in  the  lap  of  glory,  he  called  to  his  aids  to  carry  him  forward 
and  let  him  die  in  the  fort.    The  resistance,  on  the  part  of 


454  WAYNE. 

the  garrison  was  very  spirited.  Out  of  the  forlorn  hope  of 
twenty  men,  commanded  by  lieutenant  Gibbon,  whose  busi- 
ness it  was  to  remove  the  abattis,  seventeen  were  killed  or 
wounded.  For  the  brave,  prudent,  and  soldier-like  conduct 
displayed  in  this  achievement,  the  congress  presented  general 
Wayne  a  gold  medal  emblematic  of  the  action. 

The  following;  letters  and  documents  will  set  forth  more 
distinctly  the  nature  of  this  enterprise. 

General  Orders  for  the  Jittack. 

The  troops  will  march  at o'clock,  and  move  by  the 

right,  making  a  short  halt  at  the  creek,  or  run  on  this  side, 
next  Clement's  :  every  officer  and  non-commissioned  officer 
will  remain  with,  and  be  answerable  for  every  man  in  his 
platoon  ;  no  soldier  to  be  permitted  to  quit  his  ranks  on  any 
pretext  whatever,  until  a  general  halt  is  made,  and  then  to 
be  attended  by  one  of  the  officers  of  the  platoon. 

When  the  head  of  the  troops  arrive  in  the  rear  of  the  hill, 
colonel  Febiger  will  form  his  regiment  into  a  solid  column  of 
a  half  platoon  in  front,  as  fast  as  they  come  up.  Colonel 
Meigs  will  form  next  in  colonel  Febiger's  rear,  and  major 
Hull  in  the  rear  of  Meigs,  which  will  form  the  right  column. 

Colonel  Butler  will  form  a  column  on  the  left  of  Febiger, 
and  major  Murphy  in  his  rear.  Every  officer  and  soldier  will 
then  fix  a  piece  of  white  paper  in  the  most  conspicuous  part 
of  his  hat  or  cap,  as  a  mark  to  distinguish  them  from  the  ene- 
my. At  the  word  march,  colonel  Fleury  will  take  charge  of 
one  hundred  and  fifty  determined  and  picked  men,  properly 
officered,  with  arms  unloaded,  placing  their  whole  depen- 
dence on  fixed  bayonets,  who  will  move  about  twenty  paces 
in  front  of  the  right  column,  and  enter  the  sally-port ;  he  is 
to  detach  an  officer  and  twenty  men  a  little  in  front,  whose 
business  will  be  to  secure  the  sentries,  and  remove  the  abattis 
and  obstructions  for  the  column  to  pass  through.  The  column 
will  follow  close  in  the  rear  with  shouldered  muskets,  led  by 
colonel  Febiger  and  general  Wayne  in  person.  When  the 
works  are  forced,  and  not  before,  the  victorious  troops  as  they 

enter,  will  give  the  watchword with  repeated  and 

loud  voices,  and  drive  the  enemy  from  their  works  and  guns, 
which  will  favour  the  pass  of  the  whole  troops  :  should  the 
enemy  refuse  to  surrender,  or  attempt  to  make  their  escape 
by  water  or  otherwise,  effectual  means  must  be  used  to  effect 
the  former  and  prevent  the  latter. 

Colonel  Butler  will  move  by  the  route  (2,)  preceded  by  one 
hundred  chosen  men  with  fixed  bayonets,  properly  officered, 
at  the  distance  of  twenty  yards  in  front  of  the  column,  which 
will  follow  under  colonel  Butler  with  shouldered  muskets. 


WAYNE.  455 

These  hundred  will  also  detach  a  proper  officer  and  twenty 
men  a  little  in  front  to  remove  the  obstructions  ;  as  soon  as 
they  gain  the  works  they  will  also  give  and  continue  the 
watchword,  which  will  prevent  confusion  and  mistake. 

If  any  soldier  presume  to  take  his  musket  from  his  shoul- 
der, or  to  fire,  or  begin  the  battle  until  ordered  by  his  pro- 
per officer,  he  shall  be  instantly  put  to  death  by  the  officer 
next  him  ;  for  the  misconduct  of  one  man  is  not  to  put  the 
whole  troops  in  danger  or  disorder,  and  he  be  suffered  to  pass 
with  life.  After  the  troops  begin  to  advance  to  the  works, 
the  strictest  silence  must  be  observed,  and  the  closest  atten- 
tion paid  to  the  commands  of  the  officers. 

The  general  has  the  fullest  confidence  in  the  bravery  and 
fortitude  of  the  corps  that  he  has  the  happiness  to  command. 
The  distinguished  honour  conferred  on  every  officer  and  sol- 
dier who  has  been  drafted  into  this  corps  by  his  excellency 
general  Washington,  the  credit  of  the  states  they  respectively 
belong  to,  and  their  own  reputations,  will  be  such  powerful 
motives  for  each  man  to  distinguish  himself,  that  the  general 
cannot  have  the  least  doubt  of  a  glorious  victory ;  and  he 
hereby  most  solemnly  engages  to  reward  the  first  man  that 
enters  the  works  with  five  hundred  dollars  and  immediate 
promotion ;  to  the  second  four  hundred  dollars,  to  the  third 
three  hundred  dollars,  to  the  fourth  two  hundred  dollars,  and 
to  the  fifth  one  hundred  dollars  ;  and  will  represent  the  con- 
duct of  every  officer  and  soldier  who  distinguishes  himself  in 
this  action,  in  the  most  favourable  point  of  view  to  his  excel- 
lency, whose  greatest  pleasure  is  in  rewarding  merit.  But 
should  there  be  any  soldier  so  lost  to  every  feeling  of  honour, 
as  to  attempt  to  retreat  one  single  foot,  or  skulk  in  the  face  of 
danger,  the  officer  next  to  him  is  immediately  to  put  him  to 
death,  that  he  may  no  longer  disgrace  the  name  of  a  soldier, 
or  the  corps  or  state  he  belongs  to. 

As  general  Wrayne  is  determined  to  share  the  danger  of  the 
night,  so  he  wishes  to  participate  in  the  glory  of  the  day  in 
common  with  his  fellow  soldiers. 

Immediately  after  the  surrender  of  Stony  Point,  general 
Wayne  transmitted  to  the  commander  in  chief  the  following 
laconic  letter  : 

"  Stony  Point,  July  16,  1779.— 2  o'clock,  A.  M. 
"  Dear  General, — The  fort   and  garrison,   with  colonel 
Johnson,  are  our's  :  our  officers  and  men  behaved  like  men 
determined  to  be  free. 

Your's  most  sincerelv, 

.,«        w  "  ANTHONY  WAYNE. 

"  Gen.  Washington. 


456  WAYNE. 

Letter  from  General  Wayne  to  General  Washington. 

Stony  Point,  July  17th,  1779. 

Sir, — I  have  now  the  honour  of  giving  your  excellency  a 
full  and  particular  account  of  the  reduction  of  this  post  by  the 
light  troops  under  my  command. 

On  the  15th  instant,  at  twelve  o'clock,  we  took  up  our  line 
of  march  from  Sandy  Beach,  distant  about  fourteen  miles 
from  this  place ;  the  roads  being  exceedingly  bad  and  nar- 
row, and  having  to  pass  over  high  mountains,  and  through 
such  deep  morasses  and  difficult  defiles,  that  we  were  obliged 
the  greatest  part  of  the  way  to  move  in  single  files.  At  eight 
o'clock  in  the  evening  the  van  arrived  at  a  Mr.  Springsteel's, 
within  one  mile  and  an  half  of  the  enemy's  lines,  and  formed 
into  columns  as  fast  as  they  came  up,  agreeable  to  the  order 
of  battle  herewith  transmitted.  {Vide  order.)  Colonel  Febi- 
ger's  and  colonel  Meig's  regiments  with  major  Hull's  detach- 
ment, formed  the  right  column.  Colonel  Butler's  regiment 
and  major  Murphy's  two  companies,  the  left.  The  troops  re- 
mained in  this  position  until  several  of  the  principal  officers 
with  myself  had  returned  from  reconnoitering  the  works.  At 
half  after  eleven,  (being  the  hour  fixed  on,)  the  whole  moved 
forward  :  the  van  of  the  right  was  composed  of  one  hundred 
and  fifty  volunteers,  properly  officered,  with  fixed  bayonets 
and  unloaded  muskets,  under  the  command  of  lieutenant  colo- 
nel Fleury,  preceded  by  twenty  picked  men,  headed  by  a  vi- 
gilant officer  to  remove  the  abattis  and  other  obstructions. 
The  van  of  the  left  consisted  of  one  hundred  volunteers,  also 
with  fixed  bayonets  and  unloaded  muskets,  under  the  com- 
mand of  major  Steward  :  these  were  likewise  preceded  by 
twenty  men,  under  a  brave  and  determined  officer. 

At  twelve  o'clock  the  assault  was  to  begin  on  the  right  and 
left  flanks  of  the  enemy's  works,  and  major  Murphy  to  amuse 
them  in  front ;  but  from  the  obstructions  thrown  in  our  way, 
and  a  deep  morass  surrounding  their  whole  front  and  over- 
flowed by  the  tide,  rendering  the  approaches  more  difficult 
than  at  first  apprehended,  it  was  about  twenty  minutes  after 
twelve  before  the  assault  began  ;  previous  to  which,  I  placed 
myself  at  the  head  of  Folger's  regiment,  or  right  column,  and 
gave  the  troops  the  most  pointed  orders  not  to  attempt  to  fire, 
but  put  their  whole  dependence  on  the  bayonet,  which  was 
most  faithfully  and  literally  obeyed.  Neither  the  deep  mo- 
rass, the  formidable  and  double  rows  of  abattis,  or  the  right 
and  strong  works  in  front  and  flank,  could  damp  the  ardor  of 
the  troops,  who,  in  the  face  of  a  most  tremendous  and  incessant 
fire  of  musketry,  and  from  artillery  loaded  with  shells  and 
grape-shot,  forced  their  way  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet 
through  every  obstacle,  both  columns  meeting  in  the  centre  of 


WAYNE.  457 

the  enemy's  works  nearly  at  the  same  instant.  Too  much 
praise  cannot  be  given  to  lieutenant  colonel  Fleury,  (who 
struck  the  enemy's  standard  with  his  own  hand.)  and  to  ma- 
jor Steward,  who  commanded  the  advanced  parties,  for  their 
brave  and  prudent  conduct.  Colonels  Butler,  Meigs,  and. 
Febiger,  conducted  themselves  with  that  coolness,  bravery, 
and  perseverance  that  ever  will  ensure  success.  Lieutenant 
colonel  Hay  was  wounded  in  the  thigh,  bravely  fighting  at 
the  head  of  his  battalion. 

I  should  take  up  too  much  of  your  excellency's  time,  was  I 
to  particularize  every  individual  who  deserves  it,  for  their 
bravery  on  this  occasion  :  however,  I  must  acknowledge  my- 
self indebted  to  major  Lee  for  the  frequent  and  useful  intelli- 
gence he  gave  me,  and  which  contributed  much  to  the  success 
of  the  enterprise :  and  it  is  with  the  greatest  pleasure  I  ac- 
knowledge to  you  that  I  was  supported  in  the  attack  by  all 
the  officers  and  soldiers,  to  the  utmost  of  my  wishes  ;  and  re- 
turn my  thanks  to  the  officers  and  privates  of  artillery  for 
their  alertness  in  turning  the  cannon  against  the  enemy's 
works  at  Verplank's  Point,  and  their  shipping,  which  slip- 
ped their  cables,  and  immediately  dropped  down  the  river. 
I  should  be  wanting  in  gratitude,  was  I  to  omit  mentioning 
captain  Fishbourn  and  Mr.  Archer,  my  two  aids-de-camp, 
who  on  every  occasion  showed  the  greatest  intrepidity,  and 
supported  me  into  the  works  after  I  had  received  my  wound 
in  passing  the  last  abattis. 

Enclosed  are  returns  of  the  killed  and  wounded,  belonging 
to  the  light  corps,  as  also  that  of  the  enemy,  together  with 
the  number  of  prisoners  taken  :  likewise  of  the  ordnance  and 
stores  found  in  the  garrison.  I  had  forgot  to  inform  your  ex- 
cellency, that  previous  to  the  attack  I  had  drawn  general 
Muhlenburg  into  my  rear,  who,  with  three  hundred  men  of 
his  brigade  took  post  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  marsh,  and 
was  to  be  in  readiness  either  to  support  us,  or  to  cover  a  re- 
treat in  case  of  accident ;  and  have  not  the  least  doubt  of  his 
faithfully  and  effectually  executing  either,  had  there  been  an 
occasion  for  it.  The  humanity  of  our  brave  soldiers  who 
scorned  to  take  the  lives  of  vanquished  foes  calling  for  mercy, 
reflects  the  highest  honour  on  them,  and  accounts  for  so  few 
of  the  enemy  being  killed  on  the  occasion.  I  am  not  fully  sa- 
tisfied with  the  manner  in  which  I  have  mentioned  lieutenant 
Gibbons  of  the  sixth,  and  lieutenant  Knox  of  the  ninth,  Penn- 
sylvania regiments  ;  the  two  gentlemen  who  led  the  advanced 
parties  of  each  column.  The  first  had  seventeen  men  killed 
and  wounded,  out  of  twenty  :  the  latter,  though  not  quite  so 
unfortunate  in  that  respect,  was,  nevertheless,  equally  expo- 

58 


458  WAYNE. 

sed  :  they  both  behaved  with  an  intrepidity  and  address  that 
would  have  given  credit  to  the  oldest  soldier. 

I  have  the  honour  to  be,  with  singular  respect,  Your  ex- 
cellency's most  obedient,  and  verv  humble  servant, 

ANTHONY  WAYNE. 
His  Excellency  Gen.  Washington. 

Resolutions  of  Congress. 

In  Congress,  26th  July,  1779. 

Resolved  unanimously,  That  the  thanks  of  congress  be  gi- 
ven to  his  excellency  general  Washington,  for  the  vigilance, 
wisdom,  and  magnanimity  with  which  he  has  conducted  the 
military  operations  of  these  states ;  and  which  are,  among 
many  other  signal  instances,  manifested  in  his  orders  for  the 
late  glorious  enterprise  and  successful  attack  on  the  enemy's 
fortress  on  the  banks  of  the  Hudson  river. 

Resolved  unanimously,  That  the  thanks  of  congress  be 
presented  to  brigadier  general  Wayne,  for  his  brave,  prudent, 
and  soldierly  conduct,  in  the  spirited  and  well  conducted  at- 
tack of  Stony  Point. 

Resolved  unanimously,  That  congress  entertain  a  proper 
sense  of  the  good  conduct  of  the  officers  and  soldiers,  under 
the  command  of  brigadier  general  Wayne,  in  the  assault  of 
the  enemy's  works  at  Stony  Point,  and  highly  commend  the 
coolness,  discipline,  and  firm  intrepidity,  exhibited  on  the 
occasion. 

Resolved  unanimously,  That  lieutenant  colonel  Fleury  and 
major  Steward,  who  by  their  situation  in  leading  the  two  at- 
tacks, had  a  more  immediate  opportunity  of  distinguishing 
themselves,  have  by  their  personal  achievements  exhibited  a 
bright  example  to  their  brother  soldiers,  and  merit  in  a  par- 
ticular manner,  the  approbation  and  acknowledgments  of  the 
United  States. 

Resolved  unanimously,  That  congress  warmly  approve 
and  applaud  the  cool  determined  spirit  with  which  lieutenants 
Gibbons  and  Knox  led  on  the  forlorn  hope,  braving  danger 
and  death  in  the  cause  of  their  country. 

Resolved  unanimously,  That  a  medal  emblematical  of  this 
action  be  struck.  That  one  of  gold  be  presented  to  brigadier 
general  Wayne,  and  a  silver  one  to  lieutenant  colonel  Fleury 
and  major  Steward  respectively. 

Resolved  unanimously,  That  brevets  of  captain  be  given 
to  lieutenant  Gibbons  and  lieutenant  Knox. 

Resolved  unanimously,  That  the  brevet  of  captain  be  given 
to  Mr.  Archer,  the  bearer  of  the  general's  letter,  and  volun- 
teer aid  to  brigadier  general  Wayne. 

Resolved  unanimously,  That  congress  approve  the  prorai 


WAYNE.  459 

ses  of  reward  made  by  brigadier  general  Wayne,  with  the 
concurrence  of  the  commander  in  chief,  to  the  troops  under 
his  command. 

Resolved  unanimously,    That  the  value  of  the  military 
stores  taken  at  Stony  Point  he  ascertained,  and  divided  among 
the  gallant  troops  by  whom  it  was  reduced,  in  such  manner 
and  proportion  as  the  commander  in  chief  shall  prescribe. 
Extract  from  the  minutes, 

Chas.  Thompson,  Secretary. 

Letter  from  Mr.  Jay  to  General  Wayne. 

Philadelphia,  July  Q7th,  1779. 
Sir, — Your  late  glorious  achievements  have  merited,  and 
now  receive  the  approbation  and  thanks  of  your  country. 
They  are  contained  in  the  enclosed  act  of  congress,  which  I 
have  the  honour  to  transmit. 

This  brilliant  action  adds  fresh  lustre  to  our  arms,  and  will 
teach  the  enemy  to  respect  our  power,  if  not  to  imitate  our 
humanity.  You  have  nobly  reaped  laurels  in  the  cause  of 
your  country,  and  in  fields  of  danger  and  death.  May  these 
prove  the  earnest  of  more,  and  may  victory  ever  bear  your 
standard,  and  Providence  be  your  shield, 
I  have  the  honour  to  he,  &c, 

John  Jay,  President. 
Brigadier  General  Wayne. 

Letter  from  General  Wayne,  to  Mr.  Jay. 

West  Point,  10th  August,  1779. 

Sir, — Your  very  polite  favour  of  the  27th  ultimo,  with  the 
extract  of  an  act  of  congress,  I  have  just  now  received. 

The  honourable  manner  in  which  that  respectable  body 
have  been  pleased  to  express  their  approbation  of  my  con- 
duct, in  the  enterprise  on  Stony  Point,  must  be  very  flatter- 
ing to  a  young  soldier;  but  whilst  I  experience  every  sensa- 
tion arising  from  a  consciousness  of  having  used  my  best  en- 
deavours to  carry  the  orders  of  my  general  into  execution,  I 
feel  much  hurt  that  I  did  not  in  my  letter  to  him  of  the  17th 
of  July,  mention,  among  other  brave  and  worthy  officers,  the 
names  of  lieutenant  colonel  Sherman,  majors  Hull,  Murphey, 
and  Posey,  whose  good  conduct  and  intrepidity  justly  enti- 
tled them  to  that  attention. 

Permit  me,  therefore,  through  your  excellency,  to  do  them 
that  justice  now,  which  the  state  of  my  wound  diverted  me 
from  in  the  first  instance.  And  whilst  I  pay  this  tribute  to 
real  merit,  I  must  not  omit  major  Noirmont  de  Luneville,  a 
French  gentleman,  who  (in  the  character  of  a  volunteer)  stept 
among  the  first  for  glory.  I  will  only  beg  leave  to  add,  that 
every  officer  and  soldier  belonging  to  the  light  corps,  disco- 


460  WAYNE. 

vered  a  zeal  and  intrepidity  that  did,  and  ever  will,  secure 
success. — I  am,  with  every  sentiment  of  esteem  &c. 

ANTHONY  WAYNE. 
His  excellency  John  Jay,  Esq.  President  of  Congress. 

In  the  campaign  of  1781,  when  Cornwallis  and  his  army 
were  obliged  to  surrender  prisoners  of  war,  general  Wayne 
bore  a  conspicuous  part.  His  presence  of  mind  never  failed 
him  in  the  most  critical  situations :  of  this  he  gave  an  emi- 
nent example  on  the  James  river.  Having  been  deceived  by 
some  false  information  into  a  belief  that  the  British  army 
had  passed  the  river,  leaving  but  the  rear  guard  behind,  he 
hastened  to  attack  the  latter  before  it  should  also  have  effec- 
ted its  passage  :  but  on  pushing  through  a  morass  and  wood, 
instead  of  the  rear  guard,  he  found  the  whole  British  army 
drawn  up  close  to  him.  His  situation  did  not  admit  of  a  mo- 
ment's deliberation.  Conceiving  the  boldest  to  be  the  safest 
measure,  he  immediately  led  his  small  detachment,  not  ex- 
ceeding eight  hundred  men,  to  the  charge,  and  after  a  short, 
but  very  smart  firing,  in  which  he  lost  one  hundred  and  eigh- 
teen of  his  men,  he  succeeded  in  bringing  off  the  rest  under 
cover  of  the  wood.  Lord  Cornwallis,  suspecting  the  attack 
to  be  a  feint,  in  order  to  draw  him  into  an  ambuscade,  would 
not  permit  his  troops  to  pursue. 

The  enemy  having  made  a  considerable  head  in  Georgia, 
Wayne  was  dispatched  by  general  Washington  to  take  com- 
mand of  the  forces  in  that  state,  and,  after  some  sanguinary 
engagements,  succeeded  in  establishing  security  and  order. 
For  his  services  in  that  state,  the  legislature  presented  him 
with  a  valuable  farm. 

On  the  peace,  which  followed  shortly  after,  he  retired  to 
private  life  ;  but  in  1789,  we  find  him  a  member  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania convention,  and  one  of  those  in  favour  of  the  pre- 
sent federal  constitution  of  the  United  States. 

In  the  year  1792,  he  was  appointed  to  succeed  general  St. 
Clair,  who  had  resigned  the  command  of  the  army  engaged 
against  the  Indians  on  our  western  frontier.  Wayne  formed 
an  encampment  at  Pittsburg,  and  such  exemplary  discipline 
was  introduced  among  the  new  troops,  that,  on  their  advance 
into  the  Indian  country,  they  appeared  like  veterans. 

The  Indians  had  collected  in  great  numbers,  and  it  was  ne- 
cessary not  only  to  rout  them,  but  to  occupy  their  country  by 
a  chain  of  posts,  that  should,  for  the  future,  check  their  pre- 
datory incursions.  Pursuing  this  regular  and  systematic 
mode  of  advance,  the  autumn  of  1793,  found  general  Wayne 
with  his  army,  at  a  post  in  the  wilderness,  called  Greens- 
ville, about  six  miles  in  advance  of  fort  Jefferson,  where  he 
determined  to  encamp  for  the  winter,  in  order  to  make  the 


WA1NE.  461 

necessary  arrangements  for  opening  the  campaign  with  effect 
early  in  the  following  spring.  After  fortifying  his  camp,  he 
took  possession  of  the  ground  on  which  the  Americans  had 
heen  defeated  in  1791,  which  he  fortified  also,  and  called  the 
work  fort  Recovery.  Here  he  piously  collected  and.  with 
the  honours  of  war,  interred  the  bones  of  the  unfortunate,  al- 
though gallant  victims  of  the  4th  of  November,  1791.  This 
situation  of  the  army,  menacing  th^  Indian  villages,  effectual- 
ly prevented  any  attack  on  the  white  settlements.  The  im- 
possibility of  procuring  the  necessary  supplies  prevented  the 
march  of  the  troops  till  the  summer.  On  the  8th  of  August 
the  army  arrived  at  the  junction  of  the  rivers  An  Glaiz  and 
Miami  of  the  Lakes,  where  they  erected  works  for  the  pro- 
tection of  the  stores,  About  thirty  miles  from  this  place,  the 
British  had  formed  a  post,  in  the  vicinity  of  which  the  In- 
dians had  assembled  their  whole  force.  On  the  15th,  the  ar- 
my again  advanced  down  the  Miami,  and  on  the  18th  arrived 
at  the  rapids.  On  the  following  day  they  erected  some  works 
for  the  protection  of  the  baggage.  The  situation  of  the  enemy 
was  reconnoitered,  and  they  were  found  posted  in  a  thick 
wood,  in  the  rear  of  the  British  fort.  On  the  £0th  the  army 
advanced  to  the  attack.  The  Miami  co\ered  the  right  flank, 
and  on  the  left  were  the  mounted  volunteers,  commanded  by 
general  Todd.  After  marching  about  five  miles,  major  Price, 
who  led  the  advance,  received  so  heavy  a  fire  from  the  Indians, 
who  were  stationed  behind  trees,  that  he  was  compelled  to 
fall  back.  The  enemy  had  occupied  a  wood  in  front  of  the 
British  fort,  which,  from  the  quantity  of  fallen  timber,  could 
not  be  entered  by  the  horse.  The  legion  was  immediately  or- 
dered to  advance  with  trailed  arms,  and  rouse  them  from  their 
covert;  the  cavalry  under  captain  Campbell,  were  directed 
to  pass  between  the  Indians  and  the  river,  while  the  volun- 
teers, led  by  general  Scott,  made  a  circuit  to  turn  their  flank. 
So  rapid,  how  ever,  was  the  charge  of  the  legion,  that  before 
the  rest  of  the  army  could  get  into  action,  the  enemy  were 
completely  routed,  and  driven  through  the  woods  for  more 
than  two  miles,  and  the  troops  halted  within  gun-shot  of  the 
British  fort.  All  the  Indians'  houses  and  cornfields  were  de- 
stroyed. In  this  decisive  action,  the  whole  loss  of  general 
Wayne's  army  in  killed  and  wounded,  amounted  only  to  one 
hundred  and  seven  men.  As  hostilities  continued  on  the  part 
of  the  Indians,  their  whole  country  was  laid  waste,  and  forts 
established,  which  effectually  prevented  their  return. 

The  success  of  this  engagement  destroyed  the  enemy's 
power  :  and,  in  the  following  year,  general  Wayne  concluded 
a  definitive  treaty  of  peace  with  them. 

A  life  of  peril  and  glory  was  terminated  in  December,  1796, 


462  WAYNE. 

He  had  shielded  his  country  from  the  murderous  tomahawk 
of  the  savage.  He  had  established  her  boundaries.  He  had 
forced  her  enemies  to  sue  for  her  protection.  He  beheld  her 
triumphant,  rich  in  arts,  and  potent  in  arms.  What  more 
could  his  patriot  spirit  wish  to  see  ?  He  died  in  a  hut  at  Pres- 
que  Isle,  aged  about  fifty-one  years,  and  was  buried  on  the 
shore  of  Lake  Erie. 

A  few  years  since  his  bones  were  taken  up  by  his  son,  Isaac 
Wayne,  Esq.  and  entombed  in  his  native  county  ;  and  by  di- 
rection of  the  Pennsylvania  State  Society  of  the  Cincinnati, 
an  elegant  monument  was  erected.  It  is  to  be  seen  within  the 
cemetry  of  St.  David's  church,  situated  in  Chester  county. 
It  is  constructed  of  white  marble,  of  the  most  correct  sym- 
metry and  beauty.  The  south  front  exhibits  the  following 
inscription  : 

In  honour  of  the  distinguished 

Military  services  of 

Major  General 

ANTHONY  WAYNE, 

And  as  an  affectionate  tribute 

of  respect  to  his  memory, 

This  stone  was  erected  by  his 

companions  in  arms, 

THE  PENNSYLVANIA  STATE  SOCIETY  OF 
THE  CINCINNATI, 

July  4th,  A.  D.  1809, 

Thirty  fourth  anniversary  of 

The  Independence  of 

THE  UNITED   STATES  OF  AMERICA  ', 

An  event  which  constitutes 

the  most 

Appropriate  eulogium  of  an  American 

SOLDIER  AND  PATRIOT. 

The  north  front  exhibits  the  following  inscription  : 

Major  General 

ANTHONY  WAYNE, 

Was  born  at  Waynesborough, 

in  Chester  county, 

State  of  Pennsylvania, 

A.  D.  1745. 

After  a  life  of  honour  and  usefulness, 

He  died  in  December,  1796, 

at  a  military  post 

On  the  shore  of  Lake  Erie, 

Commander  in  chief  of  the  army  of 

THE  UNITED  STATES. 

His  military  achievements 


WILLIAMS.  463 

are  consecrated 
In  the  history  of  his  country, 

and  in 
The  hearts  of  his  countrymen. 

His  remains  \ 

Are  here  deposited.  \ 

WILLIAMS,  Otho  Holland,  a  hrigadier  general  in  the  \ 
American  army,  was  horn  in  the  county  of  Prince  George, 
in  Maryland,  in  the  year  1748.  He  was  bred  up  in  the  clerk's 
office  of  the  county,  a  profession  which  presented  better  pros- 
pects to  a  young  man,  than  any  other  office  then  procurable 
under  the  colonial  government  of  Maryland.  He  was  remo- 
ved, just  before  the  war  broke  out,  to  the  clerk's  office  in  the 
county  of  Baltimore,  of  which  he  had  the  principal  direction  ; 
and  the  husiness  of  which  he  conducted  with  exemplary  pro- 
priety. Anxious  to  draw  his  sword  in  defence  of  his  oppres- 
sed country,  as  soon  as  the  last  resort  became  inevitable, 
Williams  was  appointed  lieutenant  in  the  company  of  rifle- 
men raised  in  the  county  of  Frederick,  commanded  by  cap- 
tain Price,  and  marched  in  1775,  to  the  American  camp  be- 
fore Boston.  In  1776,  a  rifle  regiment  was  formed,  of  which 
Stephenson  was  appointed  colonel,  Rawlings  lieutenant  colo- 
nel, and  Williams  major. 

Stephenson  soon  dying,  the  command  of  the  regiment  de- 
volved upon  Rawlings.  who,  with  his  regiment,  formed  part 
of  the  garrison  of  fort  Washington,  in  the  state  of  New  York, 
when  assailed  by  sir  William  Howe,  pushing  Washington 
over  the  North  river.  In  this  attack,  the  rifle  regiment  op- 
posed the  Hessian  column,  and  behaved  to  admiration,  hold- 
ing for  a  long  time,  victory  in  suspense,  and  severely  crip- 
pling its  adversary.  The  fort  was  nevertheless  carried  by 
capitulation,  and  its  garrison  became  prisoners  of  war.  After 
the  surrender  of  Burgoyne's  army,  colonel  Wilkinson,  ad- 
jutant general  to  general  Gates,  who  was  personally  attached 
to  major  Williams,  procured  his  exchange  for  major  Ach- 
land,  wounded  in  the  first  action  between  the  northern  ar- 
mies, and  left  on  the  ground,  with  many  others,  to  the  mercy 
of  the  American  general.  While  in  captivity,  Williams  be- 
came entitled  to  the  command  of  a  regiment ;  and  as  soon  as 
he  was  exchanged,  he  was  placed  at  the  head  of  the  sixth 
Maryland.  The  Maryland  and  Delaware  lines  having  been 
detached  to  South  Carolina,  soon  after  the  reduction  of 
Charleston,  colonel  Williams  accompanied  the  Baron  de 
Kalb,  and  after  general  Gates  took  command  of  the  army, 
he  was  called  to  the  important  station  of  adjutant  general  to 
the  same.  He  bore  a  distinguished  part  in  the  battle  of  the 
sixteenth  of  August,  and  shared  with  the  general  in  the  bitter 
adversity  of  that  disastrous  period. 


464  WOOSTER. 

"When  Greene  took  command  of  the  southern  army,  colonel 
Williams  was  retained  in  the  station  he  then  0(cupied,  which 
he  held  to  the  em\  of  the  war,  enjoying  the  uninterrupted  confi- 
dence of  his  commander,  and  the  esteem  of  his  fellow  soldiers. 

Throughout  the  important  campaign  which  followed,  he 
acted  a  conspicuous  part,  and  greatly  contributed,  by  the  ho- 
nourable and  intelligent  discharge  of  the  duties  of  the  station 
which  he  held,  to  the  successful  issue  of  Greene's  operations. 
At  the  head  of  the  light  troops,  during  our  difficult  retreat, 
he  was  signally  efficient  in  holding  the  army  safe  until  it  ef- 
fected its  passage  across  the  river  Dan ;  and  after  Greene's 
return  into  North  Carolina,  when,  to  save  that  state,  the 
American  general  was  constrained  to  put  to  hazard  his  infe- 
rior force,  he  was  no  less  useful  in  thwarting  the  various  at- 
tempts of  lord  Cornwallis  to  strike  his  antagonist.  He  se- 
conded his  general  in  the  fields  of  Guilford,  of  Hobrick,  and 
of  Eutaws,  invariably  exciting,  by  his  impressive  example, 
officer  and  soldier  to  an  animated  display  of  skill  and  courage. 

After  the  war  he  was  appointed  collector  of  the  port  of  Bal- 
timore. He  died  in  July,  1794,  of  a  pulmonary  complaint. 

Brigadier  general  Williams  was  about  five  feet  ten  inches 
high,  erect  and  elegant  in  form,  made  for  activity  rather  than 
strength.  His  countenance  was  expressive,  and  the  faithful 
index  of  his  warm  and  honest  heart.  Pleasing  in  his  address, 
he  never  failed  to  render  himself  acceptable,  in  whatever  cir- 
cle he  moved,  notwithstanding  a  sternness  of  character  which 
was  sometimes  manifested  with  too  much  asperity.  He  was 
beneficent  to  his  friends,  but  very  cold  to  all  whose  correct- 
ness in  moral  principle  became  questionable  in  his  mind.  As 
a  soldier,  he  may  be  called  a  rigid,  not  cruel  disciplinarian ; 
obeying  with  exactitude  his  superior,  he  exacted  the  like 
obedience  from  his  inferior. 

In  the  field  of  battle  he  was  self-possessed,  intelligent,  and 
ardent ;  in  camp,  circumspect,  attentive  and  systematic  ;  in 
council,  sincere,  deep  and  perspicacious.  During  the  cam- 
paigns of  general  Greene,  he  was  uniformly  one  of  his  few 
advisers,  and  held  his  unchanged  confidence  :  nor  was  he  less 
esteemed  by  his  brother  officers,  or  less  respected  by  his  sol- 
diery. 

Previous  to  the  disbandonment  of  the  army,  congress  mani- 
fested their  sense  of  Williams's  merit  and  services,  by  pro- 
moting him  to  the  rank  of  brigadier  general. 

WOOSTER,  David,  major  general  in  the  revolutionary 
war,  was  born  at  Stratford,  in  1711,  and  was  graduated  at 
Yale  college  in  1738.  At  the  commencement  of  the  war  with 
Great  Britain,  he  was  appointed  to  the  chief  command  of  the 
troops  in  the  service  of  Connecticut,  and  made  a  brigadier 


WYTHE.  465 

general  in  the  continental  service  ;  but  this  commission  he 
afterwards  resigned.  In  1776,  he  was  appointed  the  first  ma- 
jor general  of  the  militia  of  his  native  state.  While  opposing 
a  detachment  of  British  troops,  whose  object  was  to  destroy 
the  public  stores  at  Banbury,  he  was  mortally  wounded  at 
Ridgefield,  April  27,  1777,  and  died  on  the  second  of  May. 
Though  seventy  years  old,  general  Woostcr  behaved  with  the 
vigor  and  spirit  of  youth.  Congress  resolved  that  a  monu- 
ment should  be  erected  to  his  memory,  as  an  acknowledg- 
ment of  his  merit  and  services. 

WYTHE,  George,  Chancellor  of  Virginia,  and  a  distin- 
guished friend  of  his  country,  was  born  in  the  county  of  Eli- 
zabeth city,  in  1726.  At  school  he  learned  only  to  read  and 
write,  and  to  apply  the  five  first  rules  in  arithmetic.  With- 
out the  assistance  of  any  instructor  he  acquired  an  accurate 
knowledge  of  the  Greek,  and  he  read  the  best  authors  in  that 
as  well  as  in  the  Latin  language.  He  made  himself  also  a 
profound  lawyer. 

Having  obtained  a  license  to  practice  law,  he  took  his  sta- 
tion at  the  bar  of  the  old  general  court,  with  many  other  great 
men,  whose  merit  has  been  the  boast  of  Virginia.  Among 
them  he  was  conspicuous,  not  for  his  eloquence  or  ingenuity 
in  maintaining  a  bad  cause,  but  for  his  sound  sense  and  learn- 
ing, and  rigid  attachment  to  justice.  He  never  undertook  the 
support  of  a  cause  which  he  knew  to  be  bad,  or  which  did  not 
appear  to  be  just  or  honourable.  He  was  even  known,  when 
he  doubted  the  statement  of  his  client,  to  insist  upon  his  mak- 
ing an  affidavit  to  its  truth,  and  in  every  instance,  where  it 
was  in  his  power,  he  examined  the  witnesses  as  to  the  facts 
intended  to  be  proved  before  he  brought  the  suit,  or  agreed  to 
defend  it. 

When  the  time  arrived,  which  Heaven  had  destined  for  the 
separation  of  the  wide,  confederated  republic  of  America, 
from  the  dominion  of  Great  Britain,  Mr.  Wythe  was  one  of 
the  instruments  in  the  hand  of  Providence  for  accomplishing 
that  great  work.  He  took  a  decided  part  in  the  very  first 
movements  of  opposition.  Not  content  merely  to  fall  in  with 
the  wishes  of  his  fellow  citizens,  he  assisted  in  persuading 
them  not  to  submit  to  British  tyranny.  With  a  prophetic 
mind  he  looked  forward  to  the  event  of  an  approaching  war, 
and  resolutely  prepared  to  encounter  all  its  evils  rather  than 
resign  his  attachment  to  liberty.  With  his  pupil  and  friend, 
Thomas  Jefferson,  he  roused  the  people  to  resistance.  As  the 
controversy  grew  warm,  his  zeal  became  proportionably  fer- 
vent. He  joined  a  corps  of  volunteers,  accustomed  himself 
to  military  discipline,  and  was  ready  to  march  at  the  call  of 
his  country.    But  that  country,  to  whose  interests  he  was  so 

59 


466  WYTHE. 

sincerely  attached,  had  other  duties  of  more  importance  for 
him  to  perform.  It  was  his  destiny  to  ohtain  distinction  as  a 
statesman,  legislator  and  judge,  and  not  as  a  warrior.  Be- 
fore the  war  commenced,  he  was  elected  a  member  of  the  Vir- 
ginia assembly.  After  having  been  for  some  time  speaker  of 
the  house  of  burgesses,  he  was  sent  by  the  members  of  that 
body  as  one  of  their  delegates  to  the  congress,  which  assem- 
bled May  10,  1775,  and  did  not  separate  until  it  had  declared 
the  independence  of  America.  In  that  most  enlightened  and 
patriotic  assembly,  he  possessed  no  small  share  of  influence. 
He  was  one  of  those  who  signed  the  memorable  declaration, 
by  which  the  heroic  legislators  of  this  country  pledged  "their 
lives,  their  fortunes,  and  their  sacred  honour,"  to  maintain 
and  defend  its  violated  rights.  But  the  voice  of  his  native 
state  soon  called  him  from  the  busy  scenes,  where  his  talents 
had  been  so  ably  exerted.  In  November,  1776,  he  was  appoint- 
ed one  of  a  committee  to  revise  the  laws  of  Virginia.  This 
was  a  work  of  very  great  labour  and  difficulty.  After  finish- 
ing the  task  of  new  modelling  the  laws,  he  was  employed  to 
carry  them  into  effect,  by  being  placed  in  the  difficult  office 
of  judge  of  a  court  of  equity.  He  was  one  of  the  three  judges 
of  the  high  court  of  chancery,  and  afterwards  sole  chancellor 
of  Virginia,  in  which  station  he  continued  until  the  day  of  his 
death,  during  a  period  of  more  than  twenty  years. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Virginia  convention,  which  in 
June  1788,  considered  the  proposed  constitution  of  the  Uni- 
ted States.  He  was  ever  attached  to  the  constitution  on  ac- 
count of  the  principles  of  freedom  and  justice  which  it  con- 
tained ;  and  in  every  change  of  affairs  he  was  steady  in  sup- 
porting the  rights  of  man.  His  political  opinions  were  always 
firmly  republican.  He  presided  twice  successively  in  the  col- 
lege of  electors  in  Virginia,  and  twice  voted  for  a  president 
whose  political  opinions  coincided  with  his  own. 

He  died  in  June,  1806,  in  the  eighty  first  year  of  his  age. 
It  was  supposed  that  he  was  poisoned  ;  hut  the  person  suspec- 
ted was  acquitted  by  a  jury  of  his  countrymen.  By  his  last 
will  he  bequeathed  his  valuable  library  and  philosophical  ap- 
paratus to  his  friend  Mr.  Jefferson,  and  distributed  the  re- 
mainder of  his  little  property  among  the  grand  children  of 
his  sister,  and  the  slaves,  whom  he  had  set  free. 

Chancellor  Wythe  possessed  a  soul  replete  with  benevo- 
lence. He  was  of  a  social  and  affectionate  disposition.  His 
integrity  was  never  even  suspected.  While  he  practised  at 
the  bar,  when  offers  of  an  extraordinary  but  well  merited 
compensation  were  made  to  him  by  clients  whose  causes  he 
had  gained,  he  would  say,  that  the  laborer  was  indeed  wor- 
thy  of  his  hire,  but  the  lawful  fee  was  all  he  had  a  right  tc 


YATES.  467 

ii Mii and  ;  and  as  to  presents,  he  did  not  want  and  would  not 
accept  them  from  any  man.  This  grandeur  of  mind  he  uni- 
formly preserved  to  the  end  of  his  life. 

YATES,  Robert,  was  born  on  the  27th  day  of  January, 

1738,  in  the  city  of  Schenectady,  in  the  state  of  New  York. 
At  the  age  of  sixteen  he  was  sent  by  his  parents  to  the  city  of 
New  York,  where  he  received  a  classical  education,  and  af- 
terwards studied  the  law  with  William  Livingston,  Esq.  a 
celebrated  barrister  in  that  metropolis.  On  the  completion  of 
his  studies,  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  and  soon  after  fixed 
his  residence  in  the  city  of  Albany,  where  in  due  time  he  re- 
ceived the  degrees  of  solicitor  and  counsellor  in  the  court  of 
chancery.  He  soon  became  eminent  in  his  profession,  and  on 
account  of  his  incorruptible  integrity,  was  known  by  the  ap- 
pellation of  the  Honest  Lawyer.   At  the  age  of  twenty-seven, 
lie  married  Miss  Jane  Van  Ness.    On  the  prospect  of  a  rup- 
ture between  this  country  and  Great  Britain,  his  open  and 
avowed  principles  as  a  Whig,  brought  him  into  political  no- 
tice ;  and  several  well  written  essays,  which  were  the  pro- 
ductions of  his  pen,  contributed  in  no  small  degree,  to  esta- 
blish his  reputation  as  a  writer  in  defence  of  the  rights  and 
liberties  of  his  country.   He  had  already  held  a  seat  as  a 
member  of  the  corporation  of  the  city  of  Albany,  and  as  at- 
torney and  counsel  to  that  board  ;  and  he  was  soon  after  ap- 
pointed a  member  of  the  *  Committee  of  Public  Safety,'  a  bo- 
dy of  men  who  were  invested  with  almost  inquisitorial  powers, 
and  who  had  justly  become  the  dread  and  scourge  of  that  class 
of  men  called  Tories.  By  the  exertions  of  Mr.  Yates,  the  pro- 
ceedings of  that  tribunal  were  tempered  with  moderation,  and 
the  patriotic  zeal  of  the  community  confined  within  its  proper 
and  legitimate  sphere  of  action.   We  find  him  not  long  after- 
wards, holding  a  seat  in  the  provincial  congress  of  his  own 
state,  and  during  the  recess  of  that  body,  performing  the  com- 
plicated and  arduous  duties  of  a  chairman  of  a  committee  for 
the  organization  and  direction  of  military  operations  against 
the  common  enemy.   In  the  year   1777,  the  constitution  of 
New  York  was  adopted,  and  Mr.  Yates  was  an  active  and 
distinguished  member  of  the  convention  that  framed  that  in- 
strument.   During  the  same  year  he  received,  without  solici- 
tation, the  appointment  of  a  judge  of  the  supreme  court,  at  a 
time  when  an  extensive  and  lucrative  practice  as  a  lawyer, 
held  out  to  him  strong  inducements  to  decline  its  acceptance. 
Regardless,  however,  of  private  interest,  he  entered  upon  the 
duties  of  that  office,  rendered  at  the  same  time  peculiarly  de- 
licate and  dangerous.  He  sat  upon  the  bench,  as  a  writer  has 
expressed  it,  "  with  a  halter  about  his  neck,"  exposed  to  pun- 
ishment as  a  rebel,  had  our  efforts  for  emancipation  proved 


468  YATES. 

abortive ;  nor  were  these  the  least  of  his  dangers  :  for  in 
counties  ravaged  or  possessed  by  the  enemy,  or  by  secret  do- 
mestic foes  watching  every  opportunity  to  ruin  or  betray  their 
country,  he  was  sometimes  obliged  to  hold  his  courts.  But 
no  dangers  could  appal,  nor  fears  deter,  him  from  a  faithful 
and  honest  performance  of  the  functions  of  his  office.  He  was 
particularly  distinguished  for  his  impartiality  in  the  trials  of 
state  criminals  ;  and  he  was  not  unfrequently  obliged  to  abate 
the  intemperate  zeal,  or  ill-judged  patriotism  of  the  juries 
who  were  to  decide  upon  the  fate  of  unfortunate  prisoners. 
On  one  occasion  he  sent  a  jury  from  the  bar  four  times  suc- 
cessively, to  reconsider  a  verdict  of  conviction  which  they 
had  pronounced  most  unwarrantably  against  the  accused, 
merely  because  they  suspected  he  was  a  tory,  though  without 
any  proof  that  could  authorise  the  verdict.  As  the  accused 
had  become  very  obnoxious  to  the  great  body  of  the  whigs, 
the  legislature  were  inflamed,  and  seriously  contemplated 
calling  Judge  Yates  before  them  to  answer  for  his  conduct : 
hut  he  was  alike  indifferent  to  censure  or  applause  in  the 
faithful  and  independent  exercise  of  his  judicial  duties;  and 
the  legislature,  at  length,  prudently  dropped  the  affair.  His 
salary  during  the  war  was  very  small,  and  hardly  sufficient 
for  the  support  of  himself  and  family  :  indeed  before  the  scale 
of  depreciation  of  continental  money  had  been  settled,  he  re- 
cei\ed  one  years'  salary  in  that  money,  at  its  nominal  value, 
the  whole  of  which  was  just  sufficient  (as  he  humourously  ob- 
served) '  to  purchase  a  pound  of  green  tea  for  his  wife."  He 
was  often  urged  to  unite  with  some  of  his  friends  in  specula- 
ting on  forfeited  estates  during  the  war,  by  which  he  might 
easily  have  enriched  himself  and  his  connexions,  without  cen- 
sure or  suspicion  ;  and  although  such  speculations  were  com- 
mon, yet  he  would  not  consent  to  become  wealthy  upon  the 
ruin  of  others.  "'No,"  said  he,  "  I  will  sooner  die  a  beggar 
than  own  a  foot  of  land  acquired  by  such  means."  In  Sep- 
tember, 177 '6,  George  Clinton,  afterwards  vice  president  of 
the  U'  :ted  States,  anxious  to  receive  the  co-operation  of  judge 
Yates  in  certain  measures  then  deemed  important  and  neces- 
sary, addressed  him  a  letter,  of  which  the  following  is  an  ex- 
tract :  4<  we  have,  at  last,  arrived  at  a  most  important  crisis, 
which  will  either  secure  the  independence  of  our  country,  or 
determine  that  she  shall  still  remain  in  a  state  of  vassalage 
to  Great  Britain.  I  know  your  sentiments  on  this  subject, 
and  1  am  extremely  happy  to  find  that  they  agree  so  exactly 
with  mine  :  but  as  we  are  called  upon  to  act  as  well  as  to 
think*  your  talents  and  exertions  in  the  common  cause  can- 
jiot  be  spared." 

After  the  conclusion  of  the  revolutionary  war,  he  was  cho- 


YATES.  469 

sen,  together  with  general  Hamilton  and  chancellor  Lansing, 
to  represent  his  native  state  in  the  convention  that  formed  the 
constitution  of  the  United  States  ;  and  to  his  labours  in  that 
convention  we  are  indebted  for  the  preservation  of  some  of 
the  most  important  debates  that  ever  distinguished  any  age 
or  country.  He  was  also  a  member  of  the  convention  subse- 
quently held  in  his  native  state,  to  whom  that  constitution 
was  submitted  for  adoption  and  ratification.  His  political 
opinions  were  open  and  unreserved.  He  was  opposed  to  a 
consolidated  national  government,  and  friendly  to  a  confede- 
ration of  the  states,  preserving  their  integrity  and  equality 
as  such.  Although  the  form  of  government  eventually  adopt- 
ed, was  not,  in  all  its  parts,  agreeable  to  his  views  and  wishes, 
still,  in  all  his  discussions,  and  especially  in  his  judicial  ca- 
pacity, he  deemed  it  a  sacred  duty  to  inculcate  entire  submis- 
sion to,  and  reverence  for,  that  constitution.  In  the  first 
charge  which  he  delivered  to  a  grand  jury  immediately  after 
its  adoption,  he  used  the  following  language  :  "  the  proposed 
form  of  government  for  the  union,  has  at  length  received  the 
sanction  of  so  many  of  the  states,  as  to  make  it  the  supreme 
law  of  the  land  ;  and  it  is  not,  therefore,  any  longer  a  ques- 
tion whether  or  not  its  provisions  are  such  as  they  ought  to 
be,  in  all  their  different  branches.  We,  as  good  citizens,  are 
bound  implicitly  to  obey  them  ;  for  the  united  wisdom  of 
America  has  sanctioned  and  confirmed  the  act,  and  it  would 
be  little  short  of  treason  against  the  republic  to  hesitate  in 
our  obedience  and  respect  to  the  constitution  of  the  United 
States  of  America.  Let  me,  therefore,  exhort  you,  gentlemen, 
not  only  in  your  capacity  as  grand  jurors,  but  in  your  more 
durable,  and  equally  respectable  character  as  citizens,  to  pre- 
serve inviolate  this  charter  of  our  national  rights  and  safety: 
a  charter  second  only  in  dignity  and  importance  to  the  Decla- 
ration of  our  Independence.  We  have  escaped,  it  is  true,  by 
the  blessing  of  divine  Providence,  from  the  tyranny  of  a  fo- 
reign foe ;  but  let  us  now  be  equally  watchful  in  guarding 
against  worse  and  far  more  dangerous  enemies — domestic 
broils,  and  intestine  divisions."  Soon  after  this  period  he  fil- 
led the  important  trust  of  commissioner,  to  treat  with  the 
states  of  Massachusetts  and  Connecticut,  on  the  subject  of 
territory,  and  to  settle  certain  claims  of  his  native  state, 
against  the  state  of  Vermont.  In  1790,  he  received  the  ap- 
pointment of  chief  justice  of  the  state  of  NewT  York,  and  was 
twice  supported  for  the  office  of  governor,  to  which  latter  of- 
fice he  was,  on  one  occasion,  elected  by  a  majority  of  votes ; 
but,  on  account  of  some  real  or  supposed  inaccuracy  in  some 
of  the  returns,  he  did  not  receive  the  certificate  of  his  election. 
In  January,  1798,  having  completed  his  sixtieth  year,  and 


4;o  YATES. 

with  it,  the  constitutional  term  of  his  office,  he  retired  from 
the  bench,  of  which,  for  twenty-one  years,  he  had  been  the 
ornament  and  pride,  and  resumed  the  practice  of  the  law.  So 
highly  did  the  legislature  estimate  his  former  services  and 
usefulness,  that  it  was  proposed  in  that  body  to  fix  an  annual 
allowance  or  stipend  on  him  for  life;  and  the  proposition  ac- 
tually passed  the  senate,  but  was  laid  aside  in  the  assembly, 
as  being  supposed  to  savour  too  much  of  the  monarchical  re- 
gulation called  pensions.  Determined,  however,  to  provide 
for  an  old  and  faithful  public  servant,  who  had  worn  out  his 
better  days  for  the  good  of  his  country,  the  legislature  ap- 
pointed him  a  commissioner  to  settle  disputed  titles  to  lands 
in  the  military  tract ;  and  this  appointment  he  held  till  near- 
ly the  close  of  his  life,  when  the  law  creating  it,  ceased  by  its 
own  limitation.  On  the  ninth  day  of  September,  1801,  he 
finished  his  mortal  career,  "  full  of  honours  and  full  of  years," 
placing  a  firm  reliance  on  the  merits  of  an  atoning  Saviour, 
and  the  goodness  of  a  merciful  God.  He  left  a  widow  and 
four  children,  two  of  whom  only  are  now  living,  a  son  and 
daughter;  the  former  John  V.  N.  Yates,  Esquire,  present  se- 
cretary of  state,  of  the  state  of  New  York. 

Chief  Justice  Yates  died  poor.  He  had  always  been  indif- 
ferent to  his  own  private  interest ;  for  his  benevolent  and  pa- 
triotic feelings,  could  not  be  regulated  nor  restrained  by  the 
cold  calculations  of  avarice  or  gain.  No  man  was  more  es- 
teemed than  himself.  He  never  had,  it  is  believed,  in  the 
whole  course  of  his  life,  a  personal  enemy  ;  and  the  tears  of 
the  widow,  the  orphan,  the  destitute  and  oppressed,  followed 
him  to  his  grave.  He  was,  emphatically,  the  honest  man  and 
the  upright  judge.  His  talents  were  of  the  higher  order,  and 
his  manners  were  plain,  attractive,  and  unassuming.  His 
opinions  at  nisi  prins,  were  seldom  found  to  be  incorrect ;  and 
on  the  bench  of  the  supreme  court  he  was  distinguished  for  a 
clear,  discriminating  mind,  that  readily  arrived  at  the  true 
merits  of  the  case  before  him.  It  may  be  safely  affirmed,  that 
no  single  individual  ever  filled  so  many  high  and  responsible 
stations  with  greater  credit  to  himself,  and  honour  to  the 
state.  His  memory  will  be  cherished  as  long  as  virtue  is  es- 
teemed, and  talents  respected  ;  and  his  epitaph  is  written  in 
the  hearts  of  his  fellow  citizens,  and  in  the  history  of  his 
country. 


LQ 


IN  CONGRESS,  Philadelphia,  Jult  5,  1775. 
A  DECLARATION 

BY  THE  REPRESENTATIVES  OF  THE  UNITED  COLONIES  OF 
NORTH  AMERICA,  SETTING  FORTH  THE  CAUSES  AND  NE- 
CESSITY OF  THEIR  TAKING  UP  ARMS. 

Directed  to  be  published  by  General  Washington,  upon  his  arri- 
val before  Boston. 

If  it  was  possible  for  men,  who  exercise  their  reason,  to 
believe  that  the  Divine  Author  of  our  existence  intended  a 
part  of  the  human  race  to  hold  an  absolute  property  in,  and 
an  unbounded  power  over  others,  marked  out  by  his  infinite 
goodness  and  wisdom,  as  the  objects  of  a  legal  domination 
never  rightfully  resistible,  however  severe  and  oppressive, 
the  inhabitants  of  these  Colonies  might  at  least  require  from 
the  parliament  of  Great  Britain,  some  evidence,  that  this 
dreadful  authority  over  them  has  been  granted  to  that  body. 
But  a  reverence  for  our  great  Creator,  principles  of  humani- 
ty, and  the  dictates  of  common  sense,  must  convince  all  those 
who  reflect  upon  the  subject,  that  government  was  instituted 
to  promote  the  welfare  of  mankind,  and  ought  to  be  adminis- 
tered for  the  attainment  of  that  end.  The  legislature  of 
Great  Britain,  however,  stimulated  by  an  inordinate  passion 
for  a  power  not  only  unjustifiable,  but  which  they  know  to  be 
peculiarly  reprobated  by  the  very  constitution  of  that  king- 
dom, and  desperate  of  success  in  any  mode  of  contest,  where 
regard  should  be  had  to  truth,  law  or  right,  have  at  length, 
deserting  those,  attempted  to  effect  their  cruel  and  impolitic 
purpose  of  enslaving  these  Colonies  by  violence,  and  have 
thereby  rendered  it  necessary  for  us  to  close  with  their  last 
appeal  from  reason  to  arms.  Yet,  however  blinded  that  as- 
sembly may  be,  by  their  intemperate  rage  for  unlimited  dom- 
ination, so  to  slight  justice  and  the  opinion  of  mankind,  we 
esteem  ourselves  bound  by  obligations  of  respect  to  the  rest 
of  the  world,  to  make  known  the  justice  of  our  cause. 


472  APPENDIX. 

Our  forefathers,  inhabitants  of  the  island  of  Great  Britain, 
left  their  native  land,  to  seek  on  these  shores  a  residence  for 
civil  and  religious  freedom.  At  the  expense  of  their  blood, 
at  the  hazard  of  their  fortunes,  without  the  least  charge  to 
the  country  from  which  they  removed,  by  unceasing  labour 
and  an  unconquerable  spirit,  they  effected  settlements  in  the 
distant  and  inhospitable  wilds  of  America,  then  filled  with 
numerous  and  warlike  nations  of  barbarians.  Societies  or 
governments,  vested  with  perfect  legislatures,  were  formed 
under  charters  from  the  crown,  and  an  harmonious  inter- 
course was  established  between  the  Colonies  and  the  kingdom 
from  which  they  derived  their  origin.  The  mutual  benefits 
of  this  union  became  in  a  short  time  so  extraordinary,  as  to 
excite  astonishment.  It  is  universally  confessed,  that  the 
amazing  increase  of  the  wealth,  strength,  and  navigation  of 
the  realm,  arose  from  this  source  ;  and  the  minister,  who  so 
wisely  and  successfully  directed  the  measures  of  Great  Britain 
in  the  late  war,  publicly  declared  that  these  Colonies  enabled 
them  to  triumph  over  her  enemies.  Towards  the  conclusion 
of  that  war,  it  pleased  our  sovereign  to  make  a  change  in  his 
counsels.  From  that  fatal  moment,  the  affairs  of  the  British 
empire  began  to  fall  into  confusion,  and  gradually  sliding 
from  the  summit  of  glorious  prosperity,  to  which  they  had 
been  advanced  by  the  virtues  and  abilities  of  one  man,  are  at 
length  distracted  by  the  convulsions,  that  now  shake  it  to  its 
deepest  foundations.  The  new  ministry  finding  the  brave 
foes  of  Britain,  though  frequently  defeated,  yet  still  contend- 
ing, took  up  the  unfortunate  idea  of  granting  them  a  hasty 
peace,   and  of  then  subduing  her  faithful  friends. 

These  devoted  colonies  were  judged  to  be  in  such  a  state  as 
to  present  victories  without  bloodshed,  and  all  the  easy  emo- 
luments of  statuteable  plunder.  The  uninterrupted  tenor  of 
their  peaceable  and  respectful  behaviour  from  the  beginning 
of  colonization,  their  dutiful,  zealous,  and  useful  services  dur- 
ing the  war,  though  so  recently  and  amply  acknowledged  in 
the  most  honourable  manner  by  his  majesty,  by  the  late  king, 
and  by  parliament,  could  not  save  them  from  the  meditated 
innovations.  Parliament  was  influenced  to  adopt  the  perni- 
cious project,  and  assuming  a  new  power  over  them,  have, 
in  the  course  of  eleven  years,  given  such  decisive  specimens 
of  the  spirit  and  consequences  attending  this  power,  as  to 
leave  no  doubt  concerning  the  effects  of  acquiescence  under 
it.  They  have  undertaken  to  give  and  grant  our  money  with- 
out our  consent,  though  we  have  ever  exercised  an  exclusive 
right  to  dispose  of  our  own  property ;  statutes  have  been  pas- 
sed for  extending  the  jurisdiction  of  courts  of  admiralty  and 
vice-admiralty  beyond  their  ancient  limits  ;  for  depriving  us 


APPENDIX.  473 

of  the  accustomed  and  inestimable  privilege  of  trial  by  jury, 
in  cases  affecting  both  life  and  property  ;  for  suspending  the 
legislature  of  one  of  the  colonies ;  for  interdicting  all  com- 
merce to  the  capital  of  another  ;  and  for  altering  fundamen- 
tally the  form  of  government  established  by  charter,  and  se- 
cured by  acts  of  its  own  legislature  solemnly  confirmed  by 
the  crown  ;  for  exempting  the  **  murderers"  of  colonists  from 
legal  trial,  and,  in  effect,  from  punishment ;  for  erecting  in  a 
neighbouring  province,  acquired  by  the  joint  arms  of  Great 
Britain  and  America,  a  despotism  dangerous  to  our  very  ex- 
istence ;  and  for  quartering  soldiers  upon  the  colonists  in 
time  of  profound  peace.  It  has  also  been  resolved  in  parlia- 
ment, that  Colonists  charged  with  committing  certain  offen- 
ces, shall  be  transported  to  England  to  be  tried. 

But  why  should  we  enumerate  our  injuries  in  detail  ?  By 
one  statute  it  is  declared,  that  parliament  can  "  of  right  make 
laws  to  bind  us  in  all  cases  whatsoever."  What  is  to  defend 
us  against  so  enormous,  so  unlimited  a  power  ?  Not  a  single 
man  of  those  who  assume  it,  is  chosen  by  us ;  or  is  subject  to 
our  controul  or  influence  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  they  are  all 
of  them  exempt  from  the  operation  of  such  laws,  and  an  Ame- 
rican revenue,  if  not  diverted  from  the  ostensible  purposes  for 
which  it  is  raised,  would  actually  lighten  their  own  burthens 
in  proportion  as  they  increase  ours.  We  saw  the  misery  to 
which  such  despotism  would  reduce  us.  We  for  ten  years  in- 
cessantly and  ineffectually  besieged  the  throne  as  supplicants; 
we  reasoned,  we  remonstrated  with  parliament  in  the  most 
mild  and  decent  language. 

Administration,  sensible  that  we  should  regard  these  op- 
pressive measures  as  freemen  ought  to  do,  sent  over  fleets  and 
armies  to  enforce  them.  The  indignation  of  the  Americans 
was  roused,  it  is  true  ;  but  it  was  the  indignation  of  a  virtu- 
ous, loyal,  and  affectionate  people.  A  congress  of  delegates 
from  the  United  Colonies  was  assembled  at  Philadelphia,  oh 
the  fifth  day  of  last  September.  We  resolved  again  to  offer 
an  humble  and  dutiful  petition  to  the  king,  and  also  addressed 
our  fellow  subjects  of  Great  Britain.  We  have  pursued  every 
temperate,  every  respectful  measure  ;  we  have  even  proceed- 
ed to  break  off  our  commercial  intercourse  with  our  fellow 
subjects,  as  the  last  peaceable  admonition,  that  our  attach- 
ment to  no  nation  upon  earth  should  supplant  our  attachment 
to  liberty.  This  we  flattered  ourselves  was  the  ultimate  step 
of  the  controversy  :  but  subsequent  events  have  shewn,  how 
vain  was  this  hope  of  finding  moderation  in  our  enemies. 

Several  threatening  expressions  against  the  Colonies  were 
inserted  in  his  majesty's  speech  ;  our  petition,  though  we  were 
told  it  wrasa  decent  one.  and  that  his  majesty  had  been  pleas- 

60 


474  APPENDIX. 

ed  to  receive  it  graciously,  and  to  promise  laying  it  before 
his  parliament,  was  huddled  into  both  houses  among  a  bun- 
dle of  American  papers,  and  there  neglected.  The  lords  and 
commons  in  their  address,  in  the  month  of  February,  said, 
that  a  rebellion  at  that  time  actually  existed  within  the  pro- 
vince of  Massachusetts  Bay  ;  and  that  those  concerned  in  it, 
had  been  countenanced  and  encouraged  by  unlawful  combina- 
tions and  engagements,  entered  into  by  his  majesty's  subjects 
in  several  of  the  other  Colonies  ;  and  therefore  they  besought 
his  majesty,  that  he  would  take  the  most  effectual  measures 
to  enforce  i\ue  obedience  to  the  laws  ami  authority  of  the  su- 
preme legislature.  Soon  after,  the  commercial  intercourse 
of  whole  colonies  with  foreign  countries,  and  with  each  other, 
was  cut  off  by  an  act  of  parliament :  by  another,  several  of 
them  were  entirely  prohibited  from  the  fisheries  in  the  seas 
near  their  coast,  on  which  they  always  depended  for  their 
sustenance  ;  and  large  reinforcements  of  ships  and  troops 
were  immediately  sent  over  to  general  Gage. 

Fruitless  were  all  the  intreaties,  arguments,  and  eloquence 
of  an  illustrious  band  of  the  most  distinguished  peers  and 
commoners,  who  nobly  and  strenuously  asserted  the  justice  of 
our  cause,  to  stay,  or  even  to  mitigate  the  heedless  fury  with 
which  these  accumulated  and  unexampled  outrages  were  hur- 
ried on.  Equally  fruitless  was  the  interference  of  the  city  of 
London,  of  Bristol,  and  many  other  respectable  towns  in  our 
favour.  Parliament  adopted  an  insidious  manoeuvre  calcula- 
ted to  divide  us,  to  establish  a  perpetual  auction  of  taxations, 
where  Colony  should  bid  against  Colony,  all  of  them  unin- 
formed what  ransom  would  redeem  their  lives ;  and  thus  to 
extort  from  us.  at  the  point  of  the  bayonet,  the  unknown  sums 
tli at  would  be  sufficient  to  gratify,  if  possible  to  gratify,  min- 
isterial rapacity,  with  the  miserable  indulgence  left  to  us  of 
raising,  in  our  own  mode,  the  prescribed  tribute.  AVnat 
terms  more  rigid  and  humiliating  could  have  been  dictated  by 
remorseless  victors  to  conquered  enemies  ?  In  our  circumstan- 
ces to  accept  them,  would  be  to  deserve  them. 

Soon  after  the  intelligence  of  these  proceedings  arrived  on 
this  continent,  general  Gage,  who  in  the  course  of  the  last 
year  had  taken  possession  of  the  town  of  Boston,  in  the  pro- 
vince of  Massachusetts  Bay.  and  still  occupied  it  as  a  garri- 
son, on  the  19th  day  of  April,  sent  out  from  that  place  a  large 
detachment  of  his  army,  who  made  an  unprovoked  assault  on 
the  inhabitants  of  the  said  province,  at  the  town  of  Lexington, 
as  appears  by  the  affidavits  of  a  great  number  of  persons, 
some  of  whom  were  officers  and  soldiers  of  that  detachment, 
murdered  eight  of  the  inhabitants,  and  wounded  many  others. 
From  thence  the  troops  proceeded  in  warlike  array  to  the 
town  of  Concord,  where  they  set  upon  another  party  of  the 


APPENDIX.  475 

inhabitants  of  the  same  province,  killing  several  and  wound- 
ing more,  until  compelled  to  retreat  by  the;  country  people 
suddenly  assembled  to  repel  this  cruel  aggression.  Hostili- 
ties, thus  commenced  by  the  British  troops,  have  been  since 
prosecuted  by  them  without  regard  to  faith  or  reputation. 
The  inhabitants  of  Boston  being  confined  within  that  town  by  - 
the  general,  their  governor,  and  having,  in  order  to  procure 
their  dismission,  entered  into  a  treaty  with  him,  it  was  stip- 
ulated that  the  said  inhabitants,  having  deposited  their  arms 
with  their  own  magistrates,  should  have  liberty  to  depart, 
taking  with  them  their  other  effects.  They  accordingly  de- 
livered up  their  arms  ;  but,  in  open  violation  of  honor,  in  de- 
fiance of  the  obligation  of  treaties,  which  even  savage  na- 
tions esteem  sacred,  the  governor  ordered  the  arms  deposited 
as  aforesaid,  that  they  might  be  preserved  for  their  owners, 
to  be  seized  by  a  body  of  soldiers  ;  detained  the  greatest  part 
of  the  inhabitants  in  the  town,  and  compelled  the  few  who 
were  permitted  to  retire,  to  leave  their  most  valuable  effects 
behind. 

By  this  perfidy,  wives  are  separated  from  their  husbands, 
children  from  their  parents,  the  aged  and  the  sick  from  their 
relations  and  friends,  who  wish  to  attend  and  comfort  them ; 
and  those  who  have  been  used  to  live  in  plenty  and  even  ele- 
gance, are  reduced  to  deplorable  distress. 

The  general,  further  emulating  his  ministerial  masters,  by 
a  proclamation  bearing  date  on  the  12th  day  of  June,  after 
venting  the  grossest  lasehoods  and  calumnies  against  the 
good  people  of  these  colonies,  proceeds  to  "declare  them  all, 
either  by  name  or  description,  to  be  rebels  and  traitors,  to 
supersede  the  course  of  the  common  law,  and  instead  thereof 
to  publish  asul  order  the  use  and  exercise  of  the  law  martial." 
His  troops  have  butchered  our  countrymen,  have  wantonly 
burnt  Charlestown,  besides  a  considerable  number  of  houses 
in  other  places  ;  our  ships  and  vessels  are  seized ;  the  neces- 
sary supplies  of  provisions  are  intercepted,  and  he  is  exerting 
his  utmost  power  to  spread  destruction  and  devastation  a- 
round  him. 

We  have  received  certain  intelligence,  that  general  Carle- 
ton,  the  governor  of  Canada,  is  instigating  the  people  of  that 
province,  and  the  Indians,  to  fall  upon  us  ;  and  we  have  but 
too  much  reason  to  apprehend,  that  schemes  have  been  form- 
ed to  excite  domestic  enemies  against  us.  In  brief,  a  part  of 
these  Colonies  now  feel,  and  all  of  them  are  sure  of  feeling, 
as  far  as  the  vengeance  of  administration  can  inflict  them, 
the  complicated  calamities  of  fire,  sword  and  famine.  We  are 
reduced  to  the  alternative  of  choosing  an  unconditional  sub- 
mission to  the  tyranny  of  irritated  ministers,  or  resistance 
by  force.     The  latter  is  ouf^hoicet     We  have  counted  the  cost  of 


476  APPENDIX. 

this  contest,  and  find  nothing  so  dreadful  as  voluntary  slavery. 
Honor,  justice,  and  humanity,  forbid  us  tamely  to  surrender 
that  freedom  which  we  received  from  our  gallant  ancestors, 
and  which  our  innocent  posterity  have  a  right  to  receive  from 
us.  We  cannot  endure  the  infamy  and  guilt  of  resigning 
succeeding  generations  to  that  wretchedness  which  inevitably 
awaits  them,  if  we  basely  entail  hereditary  bondage  upon 
them. 

Our  cause  is  just.  Our  union  is  perfect.  Our  internal 
resources  are  great,  and,  if  necessary,  foreign  assistance  is 
undoubtedly  attainable.  We  gratefully  acknowledge,  as  a  sig- 
nal instance  of  tbe  Divine  favor  towards  us,  that  his  provi- 
dence would  not  permit  us  to  be  called  into  this  severe  con- 
troversy, until  we  were  grown  up  to  our  present  strength, 
had  been  previously  exercised  in  warlike  operations,  and 
possessed  the  means  of  defending  ourselves.  With  hearts 
fortified  with  these  animating  reflections,  we  most  solemnly, 
before  God,  and  the  world  declare,  that,  exerting  the  ut- 
most energy  of  those  powers,  which  our  beneficent  Creator 
hath  graciously  bestowed  upon  us,  the  arms  we  have  been 
compelled  by  our  enemies  to  assume,  we  will,  in  defiance  of 
every  hazard,  with  unabating  firmness  and  perseverance, 
employ  for  the  preservation  of  our  liberties  ;  being  with  one 
mind  resolved  to  die  freemen  rather  than  to  live  slaves. 

Lest  this  declaration  should  disquiet  the  minds  of  our 
friends  and  fellow-subjects  in  any  part  of  the  empire,  we  as- 
sure them  that  we  mean  not  to  dissolve  that  union  which  has 
so  long  and  so  happily  subsisted  between  us,  and  which  we 
sincerely  wish  to  see  restored.  Necessity  has  not  yet  driven 
us  into  that  desperate  measure,  or  induced  us  to  excite  any 
other  nation  to  war  against  them.  We  have  not  raised  armies 
with  ambitious  designs  of  separating  from  Great  Britain,  and 
establishing  independent  states.  We  fight  not  for  glory  or 
for  conquest.  We  exhibit  to  mankind  the  remarkable  spec- 
tacle of  a  people  attacked  by  unprovoked  enemies,  without  any 
imputation  of  or  even  suspicion  of  offence.  They  boast  of 
their  privileges  and  civilization,  and  yet  proffer  no  milder 
conditions  than  servitude  or  death. 

In  our  own  native  land,  in  defence  of  the  freedom  that  is 
our  birth-right,  and  which  we  ever  enjoyed  till  the  late  viola- 
tion of  it ;  for  the  protection  of  our  property,  acquired  solely 
by  the  honest  industry  of  our  forefathers  and  ourselves, 
against  violence  actually  offered,  we  have  taken  up  arms.  We 
shall  lay  them  down  when  hostilities  shall  cease  on  the  part 
of  the  aggressors,  and  all  danger  of  their  being  renewed  shall 
be  removed,  and  not  before. 

With  an  humble  confidence  in  the  mercies  of  the  supreme 
and  impartial  Judge  and  Ruler  of  the  universe,  we  most  de- 


APPENDIX.  477 

voutly  implore  his  Divine  goodness  to  protect  us  happily 
through  this  great  conflict,  to  dispose  our  adversaries  to  re- 
conciliation on  reasonable  terms,  and  thereby  to  relieve  the 
empire  from  the  calamities  of  civil  war. 


IN  CONGRESS,  July  8,  1775. 

TO   THE 

KING'S  MOST  EXCELLENT  MAJESTY. 

Most  Gracious  Sovereign, 

We,  your  majesty's  faithful  subjects  of  the  colonies  of  New 
Hampshire,  Massachusetts  Bay,  Rhode  Island  and  Provi- 
dence Plantations,  Connecticut,  New  York,  New  Jersey, 
Pennsylvania,  the  counties  of  Newcastle,  Kent,  and  Sussex 
on  Delaware,  Maryland,  Virginia,  North  Carolina,  and 
South  Carolina,  in  behalf  of  ourselves  and  the  inhabitants  of 
these  colonies,  who  have  deputed  us  to  represent  them  in  ge- 
neral congress,  intreat  your  majesty's  gracious  attention  to 
this  our  humble  petition. 

The  union  between  our  mother  country  and  these  colonies, 
and  the  energy  of  mild  and  just  government,  produced  bene- 
fits so  remarkably  important,  and  afforded  such  an  assurance 
of  their  permanency  and  increase,  that  the  wonder  and  envy 
of  other  nations  were  excited,  while  they  beheld  Great  Bri- 
tain rising  to  a  power  the  most  extraordinary  the  world  had 
ever  known. 

Her  rivals,  observing  that  there  was  no  probability  of  this 
happy  connection  being  broken  by  civil  dissentions,  and  ap- 
prehending its  future  effects,  if  left  any  longer  undisturbed, 
resolved  to  prevent  her  receiving  such  continual  and  formida- 
ble accessions  of  wealth  and  strength,  by  checking  the  growth 
of  those  settlements  from  which  they  were  to  be  derived. 

In  the  prosecution  of  this  attempt,  events  so  unfavourable 
to  the  design  took  place,  that  every  friend  to  the  interest  of 
Great  Britain  and  these  colonies,  entertained  pleasing  and 
reasonable  expectations  of  seeing  an  additional  force  and  ex- 
ertion immediately  given  to  the  operations  of  the  union,  hither- 
to experienced,  by  an  enlargement  of  the  dominions  of  the 
crown,  and  the  removal  of  ancient  and  warlike  enemies  to  a 
greater  distance. 

At  the  conclusion,  therefore,  of  the  late  war,  the  most  glo- 
rious and  advantageous  that  ever  had  been  carried  on  by 
British  arms,  your  loyal  Colonists  having  contributed  to  its 
success,  by  such  repeated  and  strenuous  exertions,  as  fre- 
quently procured  them  the  distinguished  approbation  of  your 
majesty,  of  the  late  king,  and  of  parliament,  doubted  not  but 


478  AFPENDIX. 

that  they  should  be  permitted,  with  the  rest  of  t\\e  empire,  to 
share  in  the  blessings  of  peace,  and  the  emoluments  of  victo- 
ry and  conquest. 

While  these  recent  and  honourable  acknowledgments  of 
their  merits  remained  on  record  in  the  journals  and  acts  of 
that  august  legislature,  the  parliament,  undefaced  by  the  im- 
putation or  even  the  suspicion  of  any  offence,  they  were  alarm- 
ed by  a  new  system  of  statutes  and  regulations  adopted  for 
the  administration  of  the  colonies,  that  filled  their  minds  with 
the  most  painful  fears  and  jealousies  ;  and  to  their  inexpres- 
sible astonishment,  perceived  the  danger  of  a  foreign  quarrel 
quickly  succeeded  by  domestic  danger,  in  their  judgment  of 
a  more  dreadful  kind. 

Nor  were  these  anxieties  alleviated  by  any  tendency  in  this 
system  to  promote  the  welfare  of  their  mother  country.  For 
though  its  effects  were  more  immediately  felt  by  them,  yet  its 
influence  appeared  to  be  injurious  to  the  commerce  and  pros- 
perity of  Great  Britain. 

We  shall  decline  the  ungrateful  task  of  describing  the  irk- 
some variety  of  artifices,  practised  by  many  of  your  majes- 
ty's ministers,  the  delusive  pretences,  fruitless  terrors,  and 
unavailing  severities  that  have  from  time  to  time  been  dealt 
out  by  them,  in  their  attempts  to  execute  this  impolitic  plan, 
or  of  tracing  through  a  series  of  years  past,  the  progress  of 
the  unhappy  differences  between  Great  Britain  and  these  co- 
lonies, that  have  flowed  from  this  fatal  source. 

Your  majesty's  ministers,  persevering  in  their  measures, 
and  proceeding  to  open  hostilities  for  enforcing  them,  have 
compelled  us  to  arm  in  our  own  defence,  and  have  engaged 
us  in  a  controversy  so  peculiarly  abhorrent  to  the  affections 
of  your  still  faithful  Colonists,  that  when  we  consider  whom 
we  must  oppose  in  this  contest,  and  if  it  continues,  what  may 
be  the  consequences,  our  own  particular  misfortunes  are  ac- 
counted by  us  only  as  parts  of  our  distress. 

Knowing  to  what  violent  resentments,  and  incurable  ani- 
mosities, civil  discords  are  apt  to  exasperate  and  inflame  the 
contending  parties,  we  think  ourselves  required,  by  indispen- 
sible  obligations  to  Almighty  God,  to  your  majesty,  to  our 
fellow  subjects,  and  to  ourselves,  immediately  to  use  all  the 
means  in  our  power,  not  incompatible  with  our  safety,  for 
stopping  the  further  effusion  of  blood,  and  for  averting  the 
impending  calamities  that  threaten  the  British  empire. 

Thus  called  upon  to  address  your  majesty  on  affairs  of  such 
moment  to  America,  and  probably  to  all  your  dominions,  we 
are  earnestly  desirous  of  performing  this  office,  with  the  ut- 
most deference  for  your  majesty  ;  and  we  therefore  pray,  that 
your  majesty's  royal  magnanimity  and  benevolence  may 
make  the  most  favourable  constructions  of  our  expressions  on 


APPENDIX.  479 

so  uncommon  an  occasion.  Could  we  represent  in  their  full 
force,  the  sentiments  that  agitate  the  minds  of  us,  your  duti- 
ful subjects,  we  are  persuaded  your  majesty  would  ascribe 
any  seeming  deviation  from  reverence  in  our  language,  ami 
even  in  our  conduct,  not  to  any  reprehensible  intention,  but 
to  the  impossibility  of  reconciling  the  usual  appearances  of 
respect,  with  a  just  attention  to  our  own  preservation  against 
those  artful  and  cruel  enemies,  who  abuse  your  royal  confidence 
and  authority,  for  the  purpose  of  effecting  our  destruction. 

Attached  to  your  majesty's  person,  family,  and  govern- 
ment, with  all  devotion  that  principle  and  affection  can  in- 
spire, connected  with  Great  Britain  by  the  strongest  ties  that 
can  unite  societies,  and  deploring  every  event  that  tends  in 
any  degree  to  weaken  them,  we  solemnly  assure  your  majes- 
ty, that  we  not  only  most  ardently  desire  the  former  harmony 
between  her  and  these  Colonies  may  be  restored,  but  that  a 
concord  may  be  established  between  them  upon  so  firm  a  basis 
as  to  perpetuate  its  blessings,  uninterrupted  by  any  future 
dissentions,  to  succeeding  generations  in  both  countries,  and 
to  transmit  your  majesty's  name  to  posterity,  adorned  with 
that  signal  and  lasting  glory,  that  has  attended  the  memory 
of  those  illustrious  personages,  whose  virtues  and  abilities 
have  extricated  states  from  dangerous  convulsions,  and,  by 
securing  happiness  to  others,  have  erected  the  most  noble  and 
durable  monuments  to  their  own  fame. 

We  beg  leave  further  to  assure  your  majesty,  that,  notwith- 
standing the  sufferings  of  your  loyal  Colonists,  during  the 
course  of  this  present  controversy,  our  breasts  retain  too  ten- 
der a  regard  for  the  kingdom  from  which  we  derive  our  origin, 
to  request  such  a  reconciliation  as  might,  in  any  manner,  be  in- 
consistent with  her  dignity  or  her  welfare.  These,  related  as 
we  are  to  her,  honor  and  duty  as  well  as  inclination,  induce  us 
to  support  and  advance ;  and  the  apprehensions  that  now  op- 
press our  hearts  with  unspeakable  grief,  being  once  removed, 
your  majesty  will  find  yourfaithful  subjects,  on  this  continent, 
ready  and  willing  at  all  times,  as  they  have  ever  been,  with 
their  lives  and  fortunes,  to  assert  and  maintain  the  rights  and 
interests  of  your  majesty  and  of  our  mother  country. 

We  therefore  beseech  your  majesty,  that  your  royal  author- 
ity and  influence  may  be  graciously  interposed  to  procure  us 
relief  from  our  afflicting  fears  and  jealousies,  occasioned  by 
the  system  before  mentioned,  and  to  settle  peace  through  eve- 
ry part  of  your  dominions,  with  all  humility  submitting  to 
your  majecty's  wise  consideration,  whether  it  may  not  be  ex- 
pedient for  facilitating  those  important  purposes,  that  your 
majesty  be  pleased  to  direct  some  mode,  by  which  the  united 
applications  of  your  faithful  colonists  to  the  throne,  in  pursu- 
ance of  their  common  councils,  may  be  improved  into  a  hap-- 


480  APPENDIX. 

py  and  permanent  reconciliation ;  and  that,  in  the  mean  time, 
measures  may  be  taken  for  preventing  the  further  destruction 
of  the  lives  of  your  majesty's  subjects ;  and  that  such  statutes 
as  more  immediately  distress  any  of  your  majesty's  colonies, 
may  be  repealed. 

For,  by  such  arrangements  as  your  majesty's  wisdom  can 
form  for  collecting  the  united  sense  of  your  American  people, 
we  are  convinced  your  majesty  would  receive  such  satisfacto- 
ry proofs  of  the  disposition  of  the  colonists  towards  their 
sovereign  and  parent  state,  that  the  wished  for  opportunity 
would  soon  he  restored  to  them,  of  evincing  the  sincerity  of 
their  professions,  by  every  testimony  of  devotion  becoming 
the  most  dutiful  subjects  and  the  most  affectionate  colonists. 

That  your  majesty  may  enjoy  a  long  and  prosperous  reign, 
and  that  your  descendants  may  govern  your  dominions  with 
honour  to  themselves,  and  happiness  to  their  subjects,  is  our 
sincere  prayer. 

IN  CONGRESS,  July  4,  1776. 
DECLARATION  OF  INDEPENDENCE. 

THE  UNANIMOUS  DECLARATION  OF  THE    THIRTEEN   UNITED 
STATES    OF   AMERICA. 

When,  in  the  course  of  human  events,  it  becomes  necessa- 
ry for  one  people  to  dissolve  the  political  bands  which  have 
connected  them  with  another,  and  to  assume  among  the  pow- 
ers of  the  earth,  the  separate  and  equal  station  to  which  the 
laws  of  nature  and  of  nature's  God  entitle  them,  a  decent  re- 
spect to  the  opinions  of  mankind,  requires  that  they  should 
declare  the  causes  which  impel  them  to  the  separation. 

We  hold  these  truths  to  be  self-evident :  That  all  men  are 
created  equal  :  that  they  are  endowed  by  their  Creator  with 
certain  unalienable  rights :  that  among  these  are  life,  liberty, 
and  the  pursuit  of  happiness :  that,  to  secure  these  rights, 
governments  are  instituted  among  men,  deriving  their  just 
powers  from  the  consent  of  the  governed  :  that  whenever  any 
form  of  government  becomes  destructive  of  these  ends,  it  is 
the  right  of  the  people  to  alter  or  to  abolish  it,  and  to  insti 
tute  new  government,  laying  its  foundation  on  such  princi- 
ples, and  organizing  its  powers  in  such  form,  as  to  them  shall 
seem  most  likely  to  effect  their  safety  and  happiness.  Pru- 
dence, indeed,  will  dictate,  that  governments,  long  establish- 
ed, should  not  be  changed  for  light  and  transient  causes  ;  and 
accordingly  all  experience  hath  shewn,  that  mankind  are 
more  disposed  to  suffer,  while  evils  are  sufferable,  than  to 
right  themselves  by  abolishing  the  forms  to  which  they  arc 
accustomed.  But  when  a  long  train  of  abuses  and  usurpa- 


APPENDIX.  481 

tions,  pursuing  invariably  the  same  object,  evinces  a  design 
to  reduce  them  under  absolute  despotism,  it  is  their  right,  it 
is  their  duty,  to  throw  off  such  government,  and  to  provide 
new  guards  for  their  future  security.  Such  has  been  the  pa- 
tient sufferance  of  these  colonies  ;  and  such  is  now  the  neces- 
sity which  constrains  them  to  alter  their  former  systems  of 
government.  The  history  of  the  present  king  of  Great  Bri- 
tain, is  a  history  of  repeated  injuries  and  usurpations,  all  hav- 
ing in  direct  object  the  establishment  of  an  absolute  tyranny 
over  these  states.  To  prove  this,  let  facts  be  submitted  to 
a  candid  world. 

He  has  refused  his  assent  to  laws  the  most  wholesome  and 
necessary  for  the  public  good. 

He  has  forbidden  his  governors  to  pass  laws  of  immediate 
and  pressing  importance,  unless  suspended  in  their  operation, 
till  his  assent  should  be  obtained  ;  and  when  so  suspended,  he 
has  utterly  neglected  to  attend  to  them.  He  has  refused  to 
pass  other  laws  for  the  accommodation  of  large  districts  of 
people,  unless  those  people  would  relinquish  the  right  of  re- 
presentation in  the  legislature  ;  a  right  inestimable  to  them*, 
and  formidable  to  tyrants  only. 

He  has  called  together  legislative  bodies  at  places  unusual, 
uncomfortable,  and  distant  from  the  repository  of  their  public 
records,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  fatiguing  them  into  compliance 
with  his  measures. 

He  has  dissolved  representative  houses  repeatedly,  for  op- 
posing, with  manly  firmness,  his  invasions  on  the  rights  of 
the  people. 

He  has  refused  for  a  long  time  after  such  dissolutions,  to 
cause  others  to  be  elected ;  whereby  the  legislative  powers, 
incapable  of  annihilation,  have  returned  to  the  people  at 
large,  for  their  exercise  ;  the  state  remaining,  in  the  mean 
time,  exposed  to  all  the  dangers  of  invasion  from  without, 
and  convulsions  within. 

He  has  endeavoured  to  prevent  the  population  of  these 
states  ;  for  that  purpose  obstructing  the  laws  for  naturaliza- 
tion of  foreigners  ;  refusing  to  pass  others  to  encourage  their 
migration  hither,  and  raising  the  conditions  of  new  appropri- 
ations of  lands. 

He  has  obstructed  the  administration  of  justice,  by  refu- 
sing his  assent  to  laws  for  establishing  judiciary  powers. 

He  has  made  judges  dependent  on  his  will  alone,  for  the 
tenure  of  their  offices,  and  the  amount  and  payment  of  their 
salaries. 

He  has  erected  a  multitude  of  new  offices,  and  sent  hither 
swarms  of  officers,  to  harrass  our  people,  and  eat  out  their 
.substance. 

fil 


482  APPENDIX. 

He  has  kept  among  us,  in  times  of  peace,  standing  armies> 
without  the  consent  of  our  legislatures. 

He  has  affected  to  render  the  military  independent,  of,  and 
superior  to,  the  civil  power. 

He  has  combined  with  others  to  subject  us  to  a  jurisdiction 
foreign  to  our  constitution,  and  unacknowledged  by  our 
laws  ;  giving  his  assent  to  their  acts  of  pretended  legislation : 

For  quartering  large  bodies  of  armed  troops  among  us  : 

For  protecting  them  by  a  mock  trial,  from  punishment  for 
any  murders  which  they  should  commit  on  the  inhabitants  of 
these  states  : 

For  cutting  off  our  trade  with  all  parts  of  the  world  : 

For  imposing  taxes  on  us  without  our  consent : 

For  depriving  us,  in  many  cases,  of  the  benefits  of  trial  by 
jury  : 

For  transporting  us  beyond  seas  to  be  tried  for  pretended 
offences  : 

For  abolishing  the  free  system  of  English  laws  in  a  neigh- 
bouring province,  establishing  therein  an  arbitrary  govern- 
ment, and  enlarging  its  boundaries,  so  as  to  render  it  at  once 
an  example  and  fit  instrument  for  introducing  the  same  abso- 
lute rule  in  these  colonies  : 

For  taking  away  our  charters,  abolishing  our  most  valua- 
ble laws,  and  altering,  fundamentally,  the  forms  of  our  go- 
vernments : 

For  suspending  our  own  legislatures,  and  declaring  them- 
selves invested  with  power  to  legislate  for  us  in  all  cases 
whatsoever. 

He  has  abdicated  government  here,  by  declaring  us  out  of 
his  protection,  and  waging  war  against  us. 

He  has  plundered  our  seas,  ravaged  our  coasts,  burnt  our 
towns,  and  destroyed  the  lives  of  our  people. 

He  is  at  this  time  transporting  large  armies  of  foreign  mer- 
cenaries to  complete  the  works  of  death,  desolation,  and  ty- 
ranny, already  begun  with  circumstances  of  cruelty  and  per- 
fidy, scarcely  parallelled  in  the  most  barbarous  ages,  and  to- 
tally uuworthy  the  head  of  a  civilized  nation. 

He  has  constrained  our  fellow  citizens,  taken  captive  on 
the  high  seas,  to  bear  arms  against  their  country,  to  become 
the  executioners  of  their  friends  and  brethren,  or  to  fall  them- 
selves by  their  hands. 

He  has  excited  domestic  insurrections  amongst  us,  and  has 
endeavoured  to  bring  on  the  inhabitants  of  our  frontiers,  the 
merciless  Indian  savages,  whose  known  rule  of  warfare  is  an 
undistinguished  destruction  of  all  ages,  sexes,  and  conditions. 

In  every  stage  of  these  oppressions  we  have  petitioned  for 
redress  in  the  most  humble  terms :  our  repeated  petitions 
have  been  answered  only  by  repeated  injury.  A  prince,  whose 


APPENDIX.  483 

character  is  thus  marked  by  every  act  which  may  define  a 
tyrant,  is  unfit  to  be  the  ruler  of  a  free  people. 

Nor  have  we  been  wanting  in  attentions  to  our  British 
brethren.  We  have  warned  them,  from  time  to  time,  of  at- 
tempts by  their  legislature  to  extend  an  unwarrantable  juris- 
diction over  os.  We  have  reminded  them  of  the  circumstan- 
ces of  our  emigration  and  settlement  here.  We  have  appealed 
to  their  native  justice  and  magnanimity,  and  we  have  conjured 
tlijem  by  the  ties  of  our  common  kindred,  to  disavow  these 
usurpations,  which  would  inevitably  interrupt  our  connexions 
and  correspondence.  They  too  have  been  deaf  to  the  voice  of 
justice  and  of  consanguinity.  We  must,  therefore,  acquiesce 
in  the  necessity  which  denounces  our  separation,  and  hold 
them,  as  we  hold  the  rest  of  mankind,  enemies  in  war,  in 
peace  friends. 

We,  therefore,  the  representatives  of  the  United  States  of 
America,  in  general  congress  assembled,  appealing  to  the 
Supreme  Judge  of  the  world,  for  the  rectitude  of  our  inten- 
tions, do,  in  the  name  and  by  the  authority  of  the  good  people 
of  these  colonies,  solemnly  publish  and  declare,  that  these 
United  Colonies  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  free  and  in- 
dependent states  ;  that  they  are  absolved  from  all  alle- 
giance to  the  British  crown,  and  that  all  political  connexion 
between  them  and  the  state  of  Great  Britain,  is,  and  ought 
to  be,  totally  dissolved ;  and  that,  as  free  and  independent 
states,  they  have  full  power  to  levy  war,  conclude  peace,  con- 
tract alliances,  establish  commerce,  and  to  do  all  other  acts 
and  things  which  independent  states  may  of  right  do.  And 
for  the  support  of  this  declaration,  with  a  firm  reliance  on 
the  protection  of  Divine  Providence,  we  mutually  pledge  to 
each  other,  our  lives,  our  fortunes,  and  our  sacred  honor. 

The  foregoing  declaration  was,  by  order  of  congress,  en- 
grossed, and  signed  by  the  following  members  : 

JOHN  HANCOCK. 
New  Hampshire.  Samuel  Huntingdon, 

Josiah  Bartlett,  William  Williams, 

William  Whipple,  Oliver  Wolcott. 

Matthew  Thornton.  New  York. 

Massachusetts  Bay.  William  Floyd, 

Samuel  Adams,  Philip  Livingston, 

John  Adams,  Francis  Lewis, 

Robert  Treat  Paine,  Lewis  Morris. 

Elbridge  Gerry.  New  Jersey. 

Rhode  Island,  Sfc.  Richard  Stockton, 

Stephen  Hopkins,  John  Witherspoon, 

William  Ellery.  Francis  Hopkinson, 

Connecticut.  John  Hart, 

Roger  Sherman^  Abraham  Clark. 


484 


APPENDIX. 


Pennsylvania. 
Robert  Morris, 
Benjamin  Rush,  , 
Benjamin  Franklin, 
John  Morton, 
George  Clymer, 
James  Smith, 
George  Taylor, 
James  Wilson, 
George  Ross. 

Delaware. 
Cesar  Rodney, 
George  Read, 
Thomas  M'Kean. 

Maryland. 
Samuel  Chase, 
William  Paca, 
Thomas  Stone, 
Charles  Carroll,  of 
Carrollton. 


Virginia. 
George  Wythe, 
Richard  Henry  Lee, 
Thomas  Jefferson, 
Benjamin  Harrison, 
Thomas  Nelson,  Jr. 
Francis  Lightfoot  Lee. 
Carter  Braxton. 

North  Carolina. 
William  Hooper, 
Joseph  Hewes, 
John  Penn. 

South  Carolina. 
Edward  Rutledgc, 
Thomas  Heyward,  Jr. 
Thomas  Lynch,  Jr. 
Arthur  Middleton. 

Georgia. 
Button  Gwinnett, 
Lyman  Hall, 
George  Walton. 


IN  CONGRESS,  May  8,   1778. 
AN  ADDRESS 


OF  THE    CONGRESS,    TO  THE    INHABITANTS    OP  THE  UNITED 
STATES    OP    AMERICA. 

Friends  and  Countrymen, 

Three  years  have  now  passed  away,  sinee  the  commence- 
ment of  the  present  war.  A  war  without  parallel  in  the  an- 
nals of  mankind.  It  hath  displayed  a  spectacle,  the  most 
solemn  that  can  possibly  be  exhibited.  On  one  side,  we  be- 
hold fraud  and  violence  labouring  in  the  service  of  despotism  ; 
on  the  other,  virtue  and  fortitude  supporting  and  establishing 
the  rights  of  human  nature. 

You  cannot  but  remember  how  reluctantly  we  were  drag- 
ged into  this  arduous  contest ;  and  how  repeatedly,  with  the 
earnestness  of  humble  intreaty,  we  supplicated  a  redress  of 
our  grievances  from  him  who  ought  to  have  been  the  father  of 
his  people.  In  vain  did  we  implore  his  protection  :  in  vain 
appeal  to  the  justice,  the  generosity,  of  Englishmen ;  of  men, 
who  had  been  the  guardians,  the  assertors,  and  vindicators  of 
liberty  through  a  succession  of  ages  :  Men,  who,  with  their 
swords,  had  established  the  firm  barrier  of  freedom,  and  ce- 


APPENDIX.  485 

merited  it  with  the  blood  of  heroes.  Every  effort  was  vain: 
for,  even  whilst  we  were  prostrated  at  the  foot  of  the  throne, 
that  fatal  blow  was  struck,  which  hath  separated  us  forever. 
Thus  spurned,  contemned  and  insulted  ;  thus  driven  by  our 
enemies  into  measures,  which  our  souls  abhorred,  we  made 
a  solemn  appeal  to  the  tribunal  of  unerring  wisdom  and  jus- 
tice. To  tbat  Almighty  Ruler  of  Princes,  whose  kingdom  is 
over  all. 

We  were  then  quite  defenceless.  Without  arms,  without 
ammunition,  without  clothing,  without  ships,  without  money, 
without  officers  skilled  in  war  ;  with  no  other  reliance  but  the 
bravery  of  our  people  and  the  justice  of  our  cause.  We  had 
to  contend  with  a  nation  great  in  arts  and  in  arms,  whose, 
fleets  covered  the  ocean,  whose  banners  had  waved  in  triumph 
through  every  quarter  of  the  globe.  However  unequal  this 
contest,  our  weakness  was  still  farther  increased  by  the  ene- 
mies which  America  had  nourished  in  her  bosom.  Thus  ex- 
posed, on  the  one  hand,  to  external  force  and  internal  divi- 
sions ;  on  the  other  to  be  compelled  to  drink  of  the  bitter  cup 
of  slavery,  and  to  go  sorrowing  all  our  lives  long;  in  this 
sad  alternative,  we  chose  the  former.  To  this  alternative 
we  were  reduced  by  men,  who,  had  they  been  animated  by 
one  spark  of  generosity,  would  have  disdained  to  take  such 
mean  advantage  of  our  situation  ;  or,  had  they  paid  the  least 
regard  to  the  rules  of  justice,  would  have  considered  with 
abhorrence  a  proposition  to  injure  those  who  had  faithfully 
fought  their  battles,  and  industriously  contributed  to  rear  the 
edifice  of  their  glory. 

But,  however  great  the  injustice  of  our  foes  in  commencing 
this  war,  it  is  by  no  means  equal  to  that  cruelty  with  which 
they  have  conducted  it.  The  course  of  their  armies  is  marked 
by  rapine  and  devastation.  Thousands,  without  distinction 
of  age  or  sex,  have  been  driven  from  their  peaceful  abodes, 
to  encounter  the  rigours  of  inclement  seasons  ;  and  the  face  of 
heaven  hath  been  insulted  by  the  wanton  conflagration  of  de- 
fenceless towns.  Their  victories  have  been  followed  by  the 
cool  murder  of  men,  no  longer  able  to  resist ;  and  those  who 
escaped  from  the  first  act  of  carnage  have  been  exposed,  by 
cold,  hunger  and  nakedness,  to  wear  out  a  miserable  exis- 
tence in  the  tedious  hours  of  confinement,  or  to  become  the 
destroyers  of  their  countrymen,  of  their  friends,  perhaps, 
dreadful  idea!  of  their  parents  or  children.  Nor  was  this  the 
outrageous  barbarity  of  an  individual,  but  a  system  of  deliber- 
ate malice,  stamped  with  the  concurrence  of  the  British  legis- 
lature, and  sanctioned  with  all  the  formalities  of  law.  Nay, 
determined  to  dissolve  the  closest  bonds  of  society,  they  have 
stimulated  servants  to  slay  their  masters  in  the  peaceful  hour 
of  domestic  security.     And,  as  if  all  this  were  insufficient  to 


486  APPENDIX. 

slake  their  thirst  of  blood,  the  blood  of  brothers,  of  unoffend- 
ing brothers,  they  have  excited  the  Indians  against  us ;  and 
a  general,  who  calls  himself  a  christian,  a  follower  of  the 
merciful  Jesus,  hath  dared  to  proclaim  to  all  the  world,  his 
intention  of  letting  loose  against  us  whole  hosts  of  savages, 
whose  rule  of  warfare  is  promiscuous  carnage  ;  who  rejoice 
to  murder  the  infant  smiling  in  its  mother's  arms  ;  to  inflict 
on  their  prisoners  the  most  excruciating  torments,  and  ex- 
hibit scenes  of  horror  from  which  nature  recoils. 

Were  it  possible,  they  would  have  added  to  this  terrible 
system:  for  they  have  offered  the  inhabitants  of  these  states 
to  be  exported  by  their  merchants  to  the  sickly,  baneful  climes 
of  India,  there  to  perish  :  an  offer  not  accepted  of,  merely 
from  the  impracticability  of  carrying  it  into  execution. 

Notwithstanding  these  great  provocations,  we  have  treated 
such  of  them  as  fell  into  our  hands,  with  tenderness,  and  stu- 
diously endeavoured  to  alleviate  the  afflictions  of  their  captiv- 
ity. This  conduct  we  have  pursued  so  far,  as  to  be  by  them 
stigmatized  with  cowardice,  and  by  our  friends  with  folly. 
But  our  (lepenilance  was  not  upon  man.  It  was  upon  Him, 
who  hath  commanded  us  to  love  our  enemies  and  to  render 
good  for  evil.  And  what  can  be  more  wonderful  than  the 
manner  of  our  deliverance  ?  How  often  have  we  been  redu- 
ced to  distress,  and  yet  been  raised  up  ?  When  the  means  to 
prosecute  the  war  have  been  wanting  to  us,  have  not  our  foes 
themselves  been  rendered  instrumental  in  providing  them  ? 
This  hath  been  done  in  such  a  variety  of  instances,  so  peculi- 
arly marked  almost  by  the  direct  interposition  of  Providence, 
that  not  to  feel  and  acknowledge  his  protection,  would  be  the 
height  of  impious  ingratitude. 

At  length  that  God  of  battles,  in  whom  was  our  trust,  hath 
c-ondurted  us  through  the  paths  of  danger  and  distress,  to 
the  thresholds  of  security.  It  hath  now  become  morally  cer- 
tain, that,  if  we  have  courage  to  persevere,  we  shall  establish 
our  liberties  and  independence.  The  haughty  prince  who 
spurned  us  from  his  feet  with  contumely  and  disdain  ;  and 
the  parliament  which  proscribed  us,  now  descend  to  offer 
terms  of  accommodation.  Whilst  in  the  full  career  of  victo- 
ry, tiiey  pulled  off  the  mask,  and  avowed  their  intended  des- 
potism. But  having  lavished  in  vain  the  blood  and  treasure 
of  their  subjects,  in  pursuit  of  this  execrable  purpose,  they 
now  endeavour  to  ensnare  us  with  the  insidious  offers  of  peace. 
They  would  seduce  you  into  a  dependance  which,  necessarily, 
inevitably  leads  to  the  most  humiliating  slavery.  And  do  they 
Relieve  that  you  will  accept  these  fatal  terms  ?  Because  you 
have  suffered  the  distresses  of  war,  do  they  suppose  that  you 
will  basely  lick  the  dust  before  the  feet  of  your  destroyers  ? 
Can  there  be  an  American  so  lost  to  the  feelings  which  adorn 


APPENDIX.  43T 

human  nature;  to  the  generous  pride,  the  elevation,  the 
dignity  of  freedom  ?  Is  there  a  man  who  would  not  abhor  a 
depcndance  upon  those,  who  have  deluged  his  country  in  the 
blood  of  its  inhabitants  ?  we  cannot  suppose  this,  neither  is  it 
possible  that  they  themselves  can  expect  to  make  many  con- 
verts. What  then  is  their  intention  ?  Is  it  not  to  lull  you  with 
the  fallacious  hopes  of  peace,  until  they  can  assemble  new 
armies  to  prosecute  their  nefarious  designs  ?  If  this  is  not  the 
case,  why  do  they  strain  every  nerve  to  levy  men  throughout 
their  islands  ?  Why  do  they  meanly  court  every  little  tyrant 
of  Europe  to  sell  them  his  unhappy  slaves  ?  Why  do  the} 
continue  to  embitter  the  minds  of  the  savages  against  you  ? 
Surely  this  is  not  the  way  to  conciliate  the  affections  of  Ameri- 
ca. Be  not  therefore,  deceived.  You  have  still  to  expect  one- 
severe  conflict.  Your  foreign  alliances,  though  they  secure 
your  independence,  cannot  secure  your  country  from  desola- 
tion, your  habitations  from  plunder,  your  wives  from  insult 
or  violation,  nor  your  children  from  butchery.  Foiled  in 
their  principal  design,  you  must  expect  to  feel  the  rage  of 
disappointed  ambition.  Arise  then!  to  your  tents!  and  gird 
you  for  battle.  It  is  time  to  turn  the  headlong  current  of 
vengeance  upon  the  head  of  the  destroyer.  They  have  filled 
up  the  measure  of  their  abominations,  and  like  ripe  fruit  must 
soon  drop  from  the.  tree.  Although  much  is  done,  yet  much 
remains  to  do.  Expect  not  peace,  whilst  any  corner  of 
America  is  in  possession  of  your  foes.  You  must  drive  them 
away  from  the  land  of  promise,  a  land  flowing  indeed  with 
milk  and  honey.  Your  brethren  at  the  extremities  of  the 
continent,  already  implore  your  friendship  and  protection. 
It  is  your  duty  to  grant  their  request.  They  hunger  and 
thirst  after  liberty.  Be  it  yours  to  dispense  the  heavenly 
gift.     And  what  is  there  now  to  prevent  it  ? 

After  the  unremitted  efforts  of  our  enemies,  we  are  stronger 
than  before.  Nor  can  the  wicked  emissaries,  who  so  assidu- 
ously labour  to  promote  their  cause,  point  out  any  one  rea- 
son to  suppose  that  we  shall  not  receive  daily  accessions  of 
strength.  They  tell  you,  it  is  true,  that  your  money  is  of  no 
value  ;  and  your  debts  so  enormous  that  they  can  never  be 
paid.  But  we  tell  you,  that  if  Britain  prosecutes  the  war 
another  campaign,  that  single  campaign  will  cost  her  more 
than  we  have  hitherto  expended  :  and  yet  these  men  would 
prevail  upon  you  to  take  up  that  immense  load,  and  for  it  to 
sacrifice  your  dearest  rights  ;  for,  surely,  there  is  no  man  so 
absurd  as  to  suppose  that  the  least  shadow  of  liberty  can  be 
preserved  in  a  dependant  connexion  with  Great  Britain. 
From  the  nature  of  the  thing  it  is  evident,  that  the  only  se- 
curity you  could  obtain,  would  be,  the  justice  and  moderation 
of  a  parliament  who  have  sold  the  rights  of  their  own  consti- 


488  APPENDIX. 

tuents.  Ami  this  slender  security  is  still  farther  weakened 
by  the  consideration  that  it  was  pledged  to  rebels,  (as  they 
unjustly  call  the  good  people  of  these  states)  with  whom  they 
think  they  are  not  bound  to  keep  faith  by  any  law  whatsoever. 
Thus  would  you  be  cast  bound  among  men,  whose  minds,  by 
your  virtuous  resistance,  have  been  sharpened  to  the  keenest 
edge  of  revenge.  Thus  would  your  children  and  your  chil- 
dren's children,  be  by  you  forced  to  a  participation  of  all 
their  debts,  their  wars,  their  luxuries,  and  their  crimes  :  and 
this  mad,  this  impious  system,  they  would  lead  you  to  adopt, 
because  of  the  derangement  of  your  finances. 

It  becomes  you  deeply  to  reflect  on  this  subject.  Is  there  a 
country  upon  earth,  which  hath  such  resources  for  the  pay- 
ment of  her  debts,  as  America  ?  Such  an  extensive  territory  ; 
so  fertile,  so  blessed  in  its  climate  and  productions.  Surely 
there  is  none.  Neither  is  there  any,  to  which  the  wise  Euro- 
peans will  sooner  confide  their  property.  What  then  are  the 
reasons  that  your  money  hath  depreciated  ?  Because  no  taxes 
have  been  imposed  to  carry  on  the  war.  Because  your  com- 
merce hath  been  interrupted  by  your  enemies  fleets.  Because 
their  armies  have  ravaged  and  desolated  apart  of  your  coun- 
try. Because  their  agents  have  villainously  counterfeited 
your  bills.  Because  extortioners  among  you,  inflamed  with 
the  lust  of  gain,  have  added  to  the  price  of  every  article  of 
life.  And  because  weak  men  have  been  artfully  led  to  believe 
that  it  is  of  no  value.  How  is  this  dangerous  disease  to  be 
remedied  ?  Let  those  among  you,  who  have  leisure  and  op- 
portunity, collect  the  monies  which  individuals  in  their  neigh- 
bourhood are  desirous  of  placing  in  the  public  funds.  Let 
the  several  legislatures  sink  their  respective  emissions,  that 
so,  there  being  but  one  kind  of  bills,  there  may  be  less  dan- 
ger of  counterfeits.  Refrain  a  little  from  purchasing  those 
things  which  are  not  absolutely  necessary,  that  so  those  who 
have  engrossed  commodities  may  suffer  (as  they  deservedly 
will)  the  loss  of  their  ill  gotten  hoards,  by  reason  of  the  com- 
merce with  foreign  nations,  which  the  fleets  will  protect. 
Above  all,  bring  forward  your  armies  into  the  field.  Trust 
not  to  appearances  of  peace  or  safety.  Be  assured,  that  un- 
less you  persevere,  you  will  be  exposed  to  every  species  of 
barbarity.  But,  if  you  exert  the  means  of  defence  which  God 
and  nature  have  given  you,  the  time  will  soon  arrive,  when 
every  man  shall  sit  under  his  own  vine  and  fig  tree,  and  there, 
shall  be  none  to  make  him  afraid. 

The  sweets  of  a  free  commerce  with  every  part  of  the  eartU 
will  soon  reimburse  you  for  all  the  losses  you  have  sustained. 
The  full  tide  of  wealth  will  flow  in  upon  your  shores,  free 
from  the  arbitrary  impositions  of  those,  whose  interest  and 
whose  declared  policy  it  was  to  check  your  growth.     Your 


APPENDIX.  489 

interests  will  be  fostered  and  nourished  by  governments,  that 
derive  their  power  from  your  grant,  and  will  be  obliged,  by 
the  influence  of  cogent  necessity,  to  exert  it  in  your  fa- 
vour. 

It  is  to  obtain  these  things  that  we  call  for  your  strenuous, 
unremitted  exertions.  Yet  do  not  believe  that  you  have  b  n 
or  can  be  saved  merely  by  your  own  strength.  No  !  it  is  by 
the  assistance  of  Heaven ;  and  this  you  must  assiduously  cul- 
tivate, by  acts  which  Heaven  approves.  Thus  shall  the  pow- 
er and  the  happiness  of  these  Sovereign,  Free,  and  Inde- 
pendent States,  founded  on  the  virtue  of  their  citizens,  in- 
crease, extend  and  endure,  until  the  Almighty  shall  blot  out 
all  the  empires  of  the  earth. 


WASHINGTON'S  FAREWELL  ADDRESS. 

TO  THE  PEOPLE   OF  THE  UNITED  STATES. 

Friends  and  Fellow  Citizens, 

The  period  for  a  new  election  of  a  citizen,  to  administer 
the  executive  government  of  the  United  States,  being  not  far 
distant,  and  the  time  actually  arrived  when  your  thoughts 
must  be  employed  in  designating  the  person  who  is  to  be 
clothed  with  that  important  trust ;  it  appears  to  me  proper, 
especially  as  it  may  conduce  to  a  more  distinct  expression  of 
the  public  voice,  that  I  should  now  apprise  you  of  the  resolu- 
tion I  have  formed,  to  decline  being  considered  among  the 
number  of  those  out  of  whom  a  choice  is  to  be  made. 

I  beg  you,  at  the  same  time,  to  do  me  the  justice  to  be  as- 
sured, that  this  resolution  has  not  been  taken  without  a  strict 
regard  to  all  the  considerations  appertaining  to  the  relation 
which  binds  a  dutiful  citizen  to  his  country,  and  that,  in 
withdrawing  the  tender  of  service,  which  silence  in  my  situa- 
tion might  imply,  I  am  influenced  by  no  diminution  of  zeal 
for  your  future  interest,  no  deficiency  of  grateful  respect  for 
your  past  kindness  ;  but  am  supported  by  a  full  conviction, 
that  the  step  is  compatible  with  both. 

The  acceptance  of,  and  continuance  hitherto  in,  the  office 
to  which  your  suffrages  have  twice  called  me,  have  been  a  uni- 
form sacrifice  of  inclination  to  the  opinion  of  duty,  and  to  a 
deference  for  what  appeared  to  be  your  desire.  I  constantly 
hoped,  that  it  would  have  been  much  earlier  in  my  power, 
consistently  with  motives  which  I  was  not  at  liberty  to  disre- 
gard, to  return  to  that  retirement  from  which  I  had  been  re- 
luctantly drawn.     The  strength  of  my  inclination  to  do  this. 


490  APPENDIX. 

previous  to  the  last  election,  had  even  led  to  the  preparation 
of  an  address  to  declare  it  to  you.  But  mature  reflection  on 
the  then  perplexed  and  critical  posture  of  our  affairs  with 
foreign  nations,  and  the  unanimous  advice  of  persons  entitled 
to  my  confidence,  impelled  me  to  ahandon  the  idea. 

I  rejoice  that  the  state  of  your  concerns,  external  as  well  as 
internal,  no  longer  renders  the  pursuit  of  inclination  incom- 
patible with  the  sentiment  of  duty  or  propriety  ;  and  am  per- 
suaded, whatever  partiality  may  be  retained  for  my  services, 
that,  in  the  present  circumstances  of  our  country,  you  will  not 
disapprove  my  determination  to  retire. 

The  impressions  with  which  I  first  undertook  the  arduous 
trust,  were  explained  on  the  proper  occasion.  In  the  dis- 
charge of  this  trust,  I  will  only  say,  that  I  have  with  good 
intentions  contributed  towards  the  organization  and  adminis- 
tration of  the  government,  the  best  exertions  of  which  a  very 
fallible  judgment  was  capable.  Not  unconscious,  in  the 
outset,  of  the  inferiority  of  my  qualifications,  experience  in  my 
own  eyes,  perhaps  still  more  in  the  eyes  of  others,  has 
strengthened  the  motives  to  diffidence  of  myself :  and  every 
day  the  increasing  weight  of  years  admonishes  me  more  and 
more  that  the  shade  of  retirement  is  as  necessary  to  me  as  it 
will  be  welcome.  Satisfied  that  if  any  circumstances  have 
given  peculiar  value  to  my  services,  they  were  temporary,  I 
have  the  consolation  to  believe,  that  while  choice  and  pru- 
dence invite  ine  to  quit  the  political  scene,  patriotism  docs 
not  forbid  it. 

In  looking  forward  to  the  moment  which  is  intended  to 
terminate  the  career  of  my  public  life,  my  feelings  do  not  per- 
mit me  to  suspend  the  deep  acknowledgment  of  that  debt  of 
gratitude  which  I  owe  to  my  beloved  country,  for  the  many 
honors  it  has  conferred  upon  me  ;  still  more  for  the  stedfast 
confidence  with  which  it  has  supported  me  ;  and  for  the  op- 
portunities I  have  thence  enjoyed  of  manifesting  my  inviolable 
attachment,  by  services  faithful  and  persevering,  though  in 
usefulness  unequal  to  my  zeal.  If  benefits  have  resulted 
to  our  country  from  these  services,  let  it  always  be  remem- 
bered to  your  praise,  and  as  an  instructive  example  in  our 
annals,  that,  under  circumstances  in  which  the  passions, 
agitated  in  every  direction,  were  liable  to  mislead ;  amidst 
appearances  sometimes  dubious  ;  vicissitudes  of  fortune  often 
discouraging ;  in  situations  in  which  not  unfrequently  want 
of  success  has  countenanced  the  spirit  of  criticism,  the  con- 
stancy of  your  support  was  the  essential  prop  of  the  efforts, 
and  a  guarantee  of  the  plans  by  which  they  were  effected. 
Profoundly  penetrated  with  this  idea,  I  shall  carry  it  with  me 
to  my  grave,  as  a  strong  incitement  to  unceasing  vows  that 
Heaven  may  continue  to  you  the  choicest  tokens  of  its  benefi- 


APPENDIX.  491 

cence ;  that  your  union  and  brotherly  affection  may  be  perpet- 
ual !  that  a  free  constitution,  which  is  the  work  of  your  hands 
may  be  sacredly  maintained,  that  its  administration,  in  every 
department,  may  be  stamped  with  wisdom  and  virtue,  that,  in 
fine,  the  happiness  of  the  people  of  these  states,  under  the 
auspices  of  Heaven,  may  be  made  complete,  by  so  careful  a 
preservation  and  so  prudent  a  use  of  liberty,  as  will  acquire 
to  them  the  glory  of  recommending  it  to  the  applause,  the  af- 
fection, and  the  adoption  of  every  nation  which  is  yet  a  stran- 
ger to  it. 

Here,  perhaps,  I  ought  to  stop.  But  a  solicitude  for  your 
welfare,  which  cannot  end  but  with  my  life,  and  the  appre- 
hension of  danger,  natural  to  that  solicitude,  urge  me,  on  an 
occasion  like  the  present,  to  offer  to  your  solemn  contempla- 
tion, and  to  recommend  to  your  frequent  review,  some  senti- 
ments, which  are  the  result  of  much  reflection,  of  no  inconsid- 
erable observation,  and  which  appear  to  me  all-important  to 
the  permanency  of  your  felicity  as  a  People.  These  will  be 
offered  to  you  with  the  more  freedom,  as  you  can  only  see  in 
them  the  disinterested  warnings  of  a  parting  friend,  who  can 
possibly  have  no  personal  motive  to  bias  his  counsel.  Nor 
can  I  forget,  as  an  encouragement  to  it,  your  indulgent  re- 
ception of  my  sentiments  on  a  former,  and  not  dissimilar  oc- 
casion. 

Interwoven  as  is  the  love  of  liberty  with  every  ligament 
of  your  hearts,  no  recommendation  of  mine  is  necessary  to 
fortify  or  confirm  the  attachment. 

The  unity  of  Government  which  constitutes  you  one  people, 
is  also  now  dear  to  you.  It  is  justly  so  ;  for  it  is  a  main  pil- 
lar in  the  edifice  of  your  real  independence,  the  support  of 
your  tranquillity  at  home,  your  peace  abroad  ;  of  your  safety ; 
of  your  prosperity ;  of  that  very  liberty  which  you  so  highly 
prize.  But  as  it  is  easy  to  foresee,  that  from  different  causes 
and  from  different  quarters,  much  pains  will  be  taken,  many 
artifices  employed,  to  weaken  in  your  minds  the  conviction  of 
this  truth  ;  as  this  is  the  point  in  your  political  fortress  against 
which  the  batteries  of  internal  and  external  enemies  will  be 
most  constantly  and  actively  (though  often  covertly  and  in- 
sidiously) directed,  it  is  of  infinite  moment,  that  you  should 
properly  estimate  the  immense  value  of  your  national  Union, 
to  your  collective  and  individual  happiness ;  that  you  should 
cherish  a  cordial,  habitual,  and  immoveable  attachment  to  it; 
accustoming  yourselves  to  think  and  speak  of  it  as  of  the  Pal- 
ladium of  your  political  safety  and  prosperity  ;  watching  for 
its  preservation  with  jealous  anxiety ;  discountenancing  what- 
ever may  suggest  even  a  suspicion  that  it  can  in  any  event  be 
abandoned  ;  and  indignantly  frowning  upon  the  first  dawning 
of  every  attempt  to  alienate  any  portion  of  our  country  from 


49£  APPENDIX. 

the  rest,  or  to  enfeeble  the  sacred  ties  which  now  link  togeth- 
er the  various  parts. 

For  this  you  have  every  inducement  of  sympathy  and  in- 
terest. Citizens,  by  birth  or  choice,  of  a  common  country, 
that  country  has  a  right  to  concentrate  your  affections.  The 
name  of  American,  which  belongs  to  you  in  your  national 
capacity,  must  always  exalt  the  just  pride  of  patriotism,  more 
than  any  appellation  derived  from  local  discriminations. — 
With  slight  shades  of  difference,  you  have  the  same  religion, 
manners,  habits  and  political  principles.  You  have,  in  a  com- 
mon cause,  fought  and  triumphed  together.  The  independence 
and  liberty  you  possess  are  the  work  of  joint  councils,  and 
joint  efforts  ;  of  common  dangers,  sufferings,  and  successes. 

But  these  considerations,  however  powerfully  they  address 
themselves  to  your  sensibility,  are  greatly  outweighed  by 
those  which  apply  more  immediately  to  your  interest.  Here 
every  portion  of  our  country  finds  the  most  commanding  mo- 
tives for  carefully  guarding  and  preserving  the  union  of  the 
whole. 

The  north,  in  an  unrestrained  intercourse  with  the  south, 
protected  by  the  equal  laws  of  a  common  government,  finds 
in  the  productions  of  the  latter,  great  additional  resources  of 
maritime  and  commercial  enterprise,  and  precious  materials 
of  manufacturing  industry.  The  south,  in  the  same  inter- 
course benefiting  by  the  agency  of  the  north,  sees  its  agri- 
culture grow,  and  its  commerce  expand.  Turning  partly  in- 
to its  own  channels  the  seamen  of  the  North,  it  finds  its  par- 
ticular navigation  invigorated  ;  and  while  it  contributes,  in 
different  ways,  to  nourish  and  increase  the  general  mass  of 
the  national  navigation,  it  looks  forward  to  the  protection  of 
a  maritime  strength,  to  which  itself  is  unequally  adapted. 
The  east,  in  a  like  intercourse  with  the  west,  already  finds, 
and  in  the  progressive  improvement  of  interior  communica- 
tions, by  land  and  water,  will  more  and  more  find  a  valuable 
vent  for  the  commodities  which  it  brings  from  abroad,  or  ma- 
nufactures at  home.  The  west  derives  from  the  east  sup- 
plies requisite  to  its  growth  and  comfort ;  and  what  is,  per- 
haps, of  still  greater  consequence,  it  must  of  necessity  owe  the 
secure  enjoyment  of  indispensable  outlets  for  its  own  produc- 
tion, to  the  weight,  influence,  and  the  future  maritime  strength 
of  the  Atlantic  side  of  the  union,  directed  by  an  indissoluble 
community  of  interest,  as  one  nation.  Any  other  tenure,  by 
which  the  west  can  hold  this  essential  advantage,  whether 
derived  from  its  own  separate  strength,  or  from  an  apostate 
or  unnatural  connexion  with  any  foreign  power,  must  be  in- 
trinsically precarious. 

While  then  every  part  of  our  country  thus  feels  an  immedi- 
ate and  particular  interest  in  union,  all  the  parties  combined 


APPEJffilX.  493 

cannot  tail  to  find,  in  the  united  mass  oi'  means  and  efforts, 
greater  strength,  greater  resource,  proportionally  greater  se- 
curity from  external  danger,  a  less  frequent  interruption  of 
their  peace  by  foreign  nations.  And,  what  is  of  inestimable 
value,  they  must  derive  from  union  an  exemption  from  those 
broils  and  wars  between  themselves,  which  so  frequently  af- 
flict neighbouring  countries,  not  tied  together  by  the  same 
government ;  which  their  own  rivalships  alone  w  ould  be  suf- 
ficient to  produce,  hut  which  opposite  foreign  alliances,  attach- 
ments, and  intrigues,  would  stimulate  and  embitter.  Hence, 
likewise,  they  will  avoid  the  necessity  of  those  overgrown  mi- 
litary establishments,  which  under  any  form  of  government 
are  inauspicious  to  liberty ;  and  which  are  to  be  regarded  as 
particularly  hostile  to  republican  liberty.  In  this  sense  it  is, 
that  your  union  ought  to  be  considered  as  a  main  prop  of  your 
liberty,  and  that  love  of  the  one  ought  to  endear  to  you  the 
preservation  of  the  other. 

These  considerations  speak  a  persuasive  language  to  every 
reflecting  and  virtuous  mind,  and  exhibit  the  continuance  of 
the  union  as  a  primary  object  of  patriotic  desire.  Is  there  a 
doubt,  whether  a  common  government  can  embrace  so  large 
a  sphere  ?  Let  experience  solve  it.  To  listen  to  mere  specu- 
lation, in  such  a  case,  were  criminal.  We  are  authorized  to 
hope  that  a  proper  organization  of  the  whole,  with  the  auxili- 
ary agency  of  governments  for  the  respective  subdivisions, 
will  afford  a  happy  issue  to  the  experiment.  It  is  well  worth 
a  fair  and  full  experiment.  With  such  powerful  and  obvious 
motives  to  Union,  affecting  all  parts  of  our  country,  while 
experience  shall  not  have  demonstrated  its  impracticability, 
there  will  always  be  reason  to  distrust  the  patriotism  of  those, 
who,  in  any  quarter  may  endeavour  to  weaken  its  bands. 

In  contemplating  the  causes  which  may  disturb  our  union, 
it  occurs,  as  a  matter  of  serious  concern,  that  any  ground 
should  have  been  furnished  for  characterizing  parties  by  geo- 
graphical discriminations  ;  northern  and  southern  ;  At- 
lantic and  western  ;  whence  designing  men  may  endea- 
vour to  excite  a  belief  that  there  is  a  real  difference  of  local 
interests  and  views.  One  of  the  expedients  of  party  to  acquire 
influence  within  particular  districts,  is  to  misrepresent  the 
opinions  and  aims  of  other  districts.  You  cannot  shield  your- 
selves too  much  against  the  jealousies  and  heart  burnings 
which  spring  from  these  misrepresentations ;  they  tend  to 
lender  alien  to  each  other  those  who  ought  to  be  bound  to- 
gether by  fraternal  affection.  The  inhabitants  of  our  western 
country  have  lately  had  a  useful  lesson  on  this  head  ;  they 
have  seen,  in  the  negociation  by  the  Executive,  and  in  the 
unanimous  ratification  by  the  Senate  of  the  treaty  with  Spain, 
?nd  in  the  universal  satisfaction  at  that  event  throughout  the 


494  APPENDIX. 

United  States,  a  decisive  proof  how  unfounded  were  the  sus- 
picions propagated  among  them,  of  a  policy  in  the  general 
government,  and  in  the  Atlantic  states,  unfriendly  to  their 
interest  in  regard  to  the  Mississippi.  They  have  been  wit- 
nesses to  the  formation  of  two  treaties:  that  with  Great  Bri- 
tain, and  that  with  Spain ;  which  secure  to  them  every  thing 
they  could  desire,  in  respect  to  our  foreign  relations,  towards 
confirming  their  prosperity.  Will  it  not  he  their  wisdom  to 
rely  for  the  preservation  of  these  advantages  on  the  union  by 
which  they  were  procured  ?  Will  they  not  henceforth  be  deaf 
to  those  advisers,  if  such  there  are,  who  would  sever  them 
from  their  brethren,  and  connect  them  with  aliens  ? 

To  the  efficacy  and  permanency  of  your  Union,  a  Govern- 
ment for  the  whole  is  indispensable.  No  alliances,  however 
strict,  between  the  parts,  can  be  an  adequate  substitute  ;  they 
must  inevitably  experience  the  infractions  and  interruptions 
which  all  alliances  in  all  times  have  experienced.  Sensible 
of  this  momentous  truth,  you  have  improved  upon  your  first 
essay,  by  the  adoption  of  a  Constitution  of  Government  better 
calculated  than  your  former  for  an  intimate  Union,  and  for 
the  efficacious  management  of  your  common  concerns.  This 
government,  the  offspring  of  our  own  choice,  uninfluenced  and 
unawed,  adopted  upon  full  investigation  and  mature  delibera- 
tion, completely  free  in  its  principles,  in  the  distribution  of 
its  powers,  uniting  security  with  energy,  and  containing  with- 
in itself  a  provision  for  its  own  amendment,  has  a  just  claim 
to  your  confidence  and  your  support.  Respect  for  its  author- 
ity, compliance  with  its  laws,  acquiescence  in  its  measures, 
are  duties  enjoined  by  the  fundamental  maxims  of  true  liber- 
ty. The  basis  of  our  political  systems,  is  the  right  of  the 
people  to  make  and  alter  their  constitutions  of  government. 
But,  the  constitution  which  at  any  time  exists,  till  changed  by 
an  explicit  and  authentic  act  of  the  whole  people,  is  sacred- 
ly obligatory  upon  all.  The  very  idea  of  the  power  and  the 
right  of  the  people  to  establish  government,  presupposes  the 
duty  of  every  individual  to  obey  the  established  govern- 
ment. 

All  obstructions  to  the  execution  of  the  laws,  all  combina- 
tions and  associations,  under  whatever  plausible  character, 
with  a  real  design  to  direct,  control,  counteract,  or  awe  the 
regular  deliberation  and  action  of  the  constituted  authorities, 
are  destructive  of  this  fundamental  principle,  and  of  fatal  ten- 
dency. They  serve  to  organize  faction  ;  to  give  it  an  artifi- 
cial and  extraordinary  force  ;  to  put  in  the  place  of  the  delega- 
ted will  of  the  nation,  the  will  of  a  party,  often  a  small,  but 
artful  and  enterprising  minority  of  the  community  ;  and,  ac- 
cording to  the  alternate  triumphs  of  different  parties,  to  make 
the  public  administration  the  mirror  of  the  ill-concerted  and 


APPENDIX.  495 

incongruous  projects  of  faction,  rather  than  the  organ  of  con- 
sistent and  wholesome  plans,  digested  hy  common  counsels, 
and  modified  by  mutual  interests. 

However  combinations  or  associations  of  the  above  descrip- 
tion may  now  and  then  answer  popular  ends,  they  are  likely, 
in  the  course  of  time  and  things,  to  become  potent  engines,  by 
which  cunning,  ambitious  and  unprincipled  men,  will  be  en- 
abled to  subvert  the  power  of  the  people,  and  to  usurp  for 
themselves  the  reins  of  government ;  destroying  afterwards 
the  very  engines  which  have  lifted  them  to  unjustdominion. 

Towards  the  preservation  of  your  government,  and  the  per- 
manency of  your  present  happy  state,  it  is  requisite,  not  only 
that  you  steadily  discountenance  irregular  oppositions  to  its 
acknowledged  authority,  but  also  that  you  resist  with  care  the 
spirit  of  innovation  upon  its  principles  however  specious 
the  pretexts.  One  method  of  assault  may  be  to  effect  in  the 
forms  of  the  constitution,  alterations  which  will  impair  the 
energy  of  the  system,  and  thus  to  undermine  what  cannot  be 
directly  overthrown.  In  all  the  changes  to  which  you  may 
be  invited,  remember  that  time  and  habit  are  at  least  as  ne- 
cessary to  fix  the  true  character  of  governments,  as  of  other 
human  institutions,  that  experience  is  the  surest  standard  by 
which  to  test  the  real  tendency  of  the  existing  constitution  of 
a  country  ;  that  facility  in  change  upon  the  credit  of  mere 
hypothesis  and  opinion,  exposes  to  perpetual  change  from  the 
endless  variety  of  hypothesis  and  opinion  ;  and  remember,  es~ 
pecially  that  for  the  efficient  management  of  your  common 
interests,  in  a  country  so  extensive  as  ours,  a  government  of 
as  much  vigour  as  is  consistent  with  the  perfect  security  of 
liberty,  is  indispensable.  Liberty  itself  will  find  in  such  a  go- 
vernment, with  powers  properly  distributed  and  adjusted,  its 
surest  guardian.  It  is,  indeed,  little  else  than  a  name,  where 
the  government  is  too  feeble  to  withstand  the  enterprises  of 
faction,  to  confine  each  member  of  the  society  within  the  li- 
mits prescribed  by  the  laws,  and  to  maintain  all  in  the  secure 
and  tranquil  enjoyment  of  the  rights  of  person  and  property. 

I  have  already  intimated  to  you  the  danger  of  parties  in 
the  state,  with  particular  reference  to  the  founding  of  them 
on  geographical  discriminations.  Let  me  now  take  a  more 
comprehensive  view,  and  warn  you  in  the  most  solemn  man- 
ner against  the  baneful  effects  of  the  spirit  of  party  generally. 
This  spirit,  unfortunately,  is  inseparable  from  our  nature, 
having  its  root  in  the  strongest  passions  of  the  human  mind. 
It  exists  under  different  shapes  in  all  governments,  more  or 
less  stifled,  controlled,  or  repressed.  But  in  those  of  the  po- 
pular form,  it  is  seen  in  its  greatest  rankness ;  and  is  truly 
their  worst  enemy. 
The  alternate  dominion  of  one  faction  over  another,  shar- 


496  APPENDIX, 

pened  by  the  spirit  of  revenge  natural  to  party  dissension, 
which,  in  different  ages  and  countries,  has  perpetrated  the 
most  horrid  enormities,  is  itself  a  frightful  despotism.  But  this 
leads  at  length  to  a  formal  and  permanent  despotism.  The 
disorders  and  miseries  which  resOlt,  gradually  incline  the 
minds  of  men  to  seek  security  and  repose  in  the  absolute- 
power  of  an  individual  :  and,  sooner  or  later,  the  chief  of 
some  prevailing  faction,  more  able  or  more  fortunate  than 
his  competitors,  turns  this  disposition  to  the  purposes  of  his 
own  elevation,  on  the  ruins  of  public  liberty. 

Without  looking  forward  to  an  extremity  of  this  kind, 
(which,  nevertheless,  ought  not  to  be  entirely  out  of  sight,) 
the  common  and  continual  mischiefs  of  the  spirit  of  party  are 
sufficient  to  make  it  the  interest  and  duty  of  a  wise  people  to 
discourage  and  restrain  it. 

It  serves  always  to  distract  the  public  councils,  and  enfee- 
ble the  public  administration.  It  agitates  the  community 
with  ill  founded  jealousies  and  false  alarms ;  kindles  the  ani- 
mosity of  one  part  against  another;  foments  occasionally 
riot  and  insurrection  ;  and  opens  the  door  to  foreign  influence 
and  corruption,  which  find  a  facilitated  access  to  the  govern- 
ment itself  through  the  channels  of  party  passions.  Thus  the 
policy  and  will  of  one  country  are  subjected  to  the  policy  and 
will  of  another. 

There  is  an  opinion  that  parties  in  free  countries  are  useful 
checks  upon  the  administration  of  the  government,  and  serve 
to  keep  alive  the  spirit  of  liberty.  This,  within  certain  limits, 
is  probably  true  :  and  in  governments  of  a  monarchial  cast, 
patriotism  may  look  with  indulgence,  if  not  with  favour, 
upon  the  spirit  of  party.  But  in  those  of  the  popular  char- 
acter, in  governments  purely  elective,  it  is  a  spirit  not  to  be 
encouraged.  From  their  natural  tendency,  it  is  certain  there 
will  always  be  enough  of  this  spirit  for  every  salutary  pur- 
pose. And  there  being  constant  danger  of  excess,  the  effort 
ought  to  be,  by  force  of  public  opinion,  to  mitigate  and  assu- 
age it.  A  fire  not  to  be  quenched,  it  demands  a  uniform  vigil- 
ance to  prevent  its  bursting  into  a  flame,  lest,  instead  of 
warming,  it  should  consume. 

It  is  important,  likewise,  that  the  habits  of  thinking,  in  a 
free  country,  should  inspire  caution  in  those  intrusted  with 
its  administration,  to  confine  themselves  within  their  respec- 
tive constitutional  spheres,  avoiding  in  the  exercise  of  the 
powers  of  one  department  to  encroach  upon  another.  The 
spirit  of  encroachment  tends  to  consolidate  the  powers  of  all 
the  departments  in  one,  and  thus  to  create,  whatever  the 
form  of  government,  a  real  despotism.  A  just  estimate  of 
that  love  of  power,  and  proneness  to  abuse  it,  which  predom- 
inates in  the  human  heart,  is  sufficient  to  satisfv  us  of  the 


APPENDIX.  49." 

truth  of  this  position.  The  necessity  of  reciprocal  checks,  in 
the  exercise  of  political  power,  by  dividing  and  distributing 
it  into  different  depositories,  and  constituting  each  the  guar- 
dian of  public  weal  against  invasions  by  the  others,  has  been 
evinced  by  experiments  ancient  and  modern  ;  some  of  them 
in  our  country,  and  under  our  own  eyes.  To  preserve  them 
must  be  as  necessary  as  to  institute  them.  If,  in  the  opinion  of 
the  people,  the  distribution  or  modification  of  the  constitu- 
tional powers  be  in  any  particular  wrong,  let  it  be  corrected 
by  an  amendment  in  the  way  which  the  constitution  desig- 
nates. But  let  there  be  no  change  by  usurpation  ;  for  though 
this,  in  one  instance,  may  be  the  instrument  of  good,  it  is  the 
customary  weapon  by  which  free  governments  are  destroyed. 
The  precedent  must  always  greatly  overbalance,  in  perma- 
nent evil,  any  partial  or  transient  benefit  which  the  use  can 
at  any  time  yield. 

Of  all  the  dispositions  and  habits  which  lead  to  political 
prosperity,  religion  and  morality  are  indispensable  supports. 
In  vain  would  that  man  claim  the  tribute  of  patriotism,  who 
should  labour  to  subvert  these  great  pillars  of  human  happi- 
ness, these  firmest  props  of  the  duties  of  men  and  citizens. 
The  mere  politician,  equally  with  the  pious  man,  ought  to 
respect  and  to  cherish  them.  A  volume  could  not  trace  all 
their  connexions  with  private  and  public  feli<  ity.  Let  it  be 
simply  asked,  where  is  the  security  for  property,  for  reputa- 
tion, for  life,  if  the  sense  of  religious  obligations  desert  the 
oaths,  which  are  the  instruments  of  investigation  in  courts 
of  justice  ?  And  let  us  with  caution  indulge  the  supposition, 
that  morality  can  be  maintained  without  religion.  Whatever 
may  be  conceded  to  the  influence  of  refined  education  on 
minds  of  peculiar  structure,  reason  and  experience  both  for- 
bid us  to  expect  that  national  morality  can  prevail  in  exclu- 
sion of  religious  principle.  It  is  substantially  true,  that  vir- 
tue or  morality  is  a  necessary  spring  of  popular  government. 
The  rule  indeed  extends  with  more  or  less  force  to  every  spe- 
cies of  free  government.  Who  that  is  a  sincere  friend  to  it 
can  look  with  indifference  upon  attempts  to  shake  the  founda- 
tion of  the  fabric  ? 

Promote,  then,  as  an  object  of  primary  importance,  insti- 
tutions for  the  general  diffusion  of  knowledge.  In  proportion 
as  the  structure  of  a  government  gives  force  to  public  opinion, 
it  is  essential  that  public  opinion  should  be  enlightened. 

As  a  very  important  source  of  strength  and  security,  cher- 
ish public  credit.  One  method  of  preserving  it,  is  to  use  it 
as  sparingly  as  possible  ;  avoiding  occasions  of  expense  by 
cultivating  peace  ;  but  remembering  also  that  timely  disburse- 
ments to  prepare  for  danger  frequently  prevent  much  greater 


498  APPENDIX. 

disbursements  to  repel  it ;  avoiding  likewise  the  accumula- 
tion of  debt,  not  only  by  shunning  occasions  of  expense,  but 
by  vigorous  exertions,  in  time  of  peace,  to  discharge  the  debts 
which  unavoidable  wars  may  have  occasioned  ;  not  ungener- 
ously throwing  upon  posterity  the  burden  which  we  ourselves 
ought  to  bear.  The  execution  of  these  maxims  belongs  to 
your  representatives  ;  but  it  is  necessary  that  public  opinion 
should  co-operate.  To  facilitate  to  them  the  performance  of 
their  duty,  it  is  essential  that  you  should  practically  bear  in 
mind,  that  towards  the  payment  of  debts  there  must  be  reve- 
nue ;  that  to  have  revenue  there  must  be  taxes  ;  that  no  taxes 
can  be  devised  which  are  not  more  or  less  inconvenient  and 
unpleasant,  that  the  intrinsic  embarrassment  inseparable 
from  the  selection  of  the  proper  object  (which  is  always  a 
choice  of  difficulties)  ought  to  be  a  decisive  motive  for  a  can- 
did construction  of  the  conduct  of  the  government  in  making 
it,  and  for  a  spirit  of  acquiescence  in  the  measures  for  obtain- 
ing revenue,  which  the  public  exigencies  may  at  any  time 
dictate. 

Observe  good  faith  and  justice  towards  all  nations  ;  culti- 
vate peace  and  harmony  with  all.  Religion  and  morality  en- 
join this  conduct  :  and  can  it  be  that  good  policy  does  not 
equally  enjoin  it  ?  It  will  be  worthy  of  a  free,  enlightened, 
and  at  no  distant  period,  a  great  nation,  to  give  to  mankind 
the  magnanimous  and  too  novel  example  of  a  people  always 
guided  by  an  exalted  justice  and  benevolence.  Who  can  doubt 
that  in  the  course  of  time  and  things,  the  fruits  of  such  a  plan 
would  richly  repay  any  temporary  advantages  which  might 
be  lost  by  a  steady  adherence  to  it  ?  Can  it  be  that  Provi- 
dence has  not  connected  the  permanent  felicity  of  a  nation 
with  its  virtue  ?  The  experiment  at  least,  is  recommended 
by  every  sentiment  which  ennobles  human  nature.  Alas  !  is 
it  rendered  impossible  by  its  vices  ! 

In  the  execution  of  such  a  plan,  nothing  is  more  essential 
than  that  permanent  inveterate  antipathies  against  particu- 
lar nations,  and  passionate  attachment  for  others,  should  be 
excluded  ;  and  that  in  place  of  them,  just  and  amicable  feel- 
ings towards  all  should  be  cultivated.  The  nation,  which  in- 
dulges towards  another  an  habitual  hatred,  or  an  habitual 
fondness,  is  in  some  degree  a  slave.  It  is  a  slave  to  its  ani- 
mosity or  to  its  affections,  either  of  which  is  sufficient  to  lead 
it  astray  from  its  duty  and  its  interest.  Antipathy  in  one  na- 
tion against  another,  disposes  each  more  readily  to  offer  in- 
sult and  injury,  to  lay  hold  of  slight  causes  of  umbrage, 
and  to  be  haughty  and  intractable,  when  accidental  or  trifling 
occasions  of  dispute  occur.  Hence  frequent  collisions,  obsti- 
nate, envenomed  and  bloody  contests.    The  nation,  prompted 


APPENDIX.  499 

by  ill-will  and  resentment,  sometimes  impels  to  war  the  gov- 
ernment, contrary  to  the  best  calculations  of  policy.     The 
government  sometimes  participates  in  the  national  propensity, 
and  adopts  through  passion,  what  reason  would  reject ;  at 
other  times,  it  makes  the  animosity  of  the  nation  subservient 
to  projects  of  hostility  instigated   by  pride,  ambition,  and 
other  sinister   and  pernicious  motives.     The  peace,  often, 
sometimes  perhaps  the  liberty,  of  nations  has  been  the  victim. 
So  likewise,  a  passionate  attachment  of  one  nation  for  ano- 
ther produces  a  variety  of  evils.  Sympathy  for  the  favourite 
nation,  facilitating  the  illusion  of  an  imaginary  common  in- 
terest, in  cases  where  no  real  common  interest  exists,  and 
infusing  into  one  the  enmities  of  the  other,  betrays  the  former 
into  a  participation  in  the  quarrels  and  wars  of  the  latter, 
without  adequate  inducement  or  justification.     It  leads  also 
to  concessions  to  the  favorite  nation,  of  privileges  denied  to 
others,  which  is  apt  doubly  to  injure  the  nation  making  the 
concessions,  by  unnecessarily  parting  with  what  ought  to 
have  been  retained  ;  and  by  exciting  jealousy,  ill-will,  and  a 
disposition  to  retaliate,  in  the  parties  from  whom  equal  pri- 
vileges are  withheld :  and  it  gives  to  ambitious,  corrupted,  or 
deluded  citizens   (who  devote  themselves  to  the  favourite  na- 
tion) facility  to  betray  or  sacrifice  the  interests  of  their  own 
country,  without  odium,  sometimes  even  with  popularity  ; 
gilding    with  the  appearances  of  a  virtuous  sense  of  obliga- 
tions, commendable  deference  for  public  opinion,  or  a  lauda- 
ble zeal  for  public  good,  the  base  or  foolish  compliances  of 
ambition,  corruption  or  infatuation. 

As  avenues  to  foreign  influence  in  innumerable  ways,  such 
attachments  are  particularly  alarming  to  the  truly  enlighten- 
ed and  independent  patriot.  How  many  opportunities  do 
they  afford  to  tamper  with  domestic  factions,  to  practise  the 
arts  of  seduction,  to  mislead  public  opinion,  to  influence  or 
awe  the  public  councils!  Such  an  attachment  of  a  small  or 
weak,  towards  a  great  and  powerful  nation,  dooms  the  for- 
mer to  be  the  satellite  of  the  latter. 

Against  the  insidious  wiles  of  foreign  influence  (I  conjure 
you  to  believe  me,  fellow  citizens)  the  jealousy  of  a  free  peo- 
ple ought  to  be  constantly  awake ;  since  history  and  ex- 
perience prove  that  foreign  influence  is  one  of  the  most  bane- 
ful foes  of  republican  government.  But  that  jealousy,  to  be 
useful,  must  be  impartial ;  else  it  becomes  the  instrument  of 
the  very  influence  to  be  avoided,  instead  of  a  defence  against 
it.  Excessive  partiality  for  one  foreign  nation,  and  exces- 
sive dislike  of  another,  cause  those  whom  they  actuate  to  see 
danger  only  on  one  side,  and  serve  to  veil  and  even  second 
the  arts  of  influence  on  the  other.     Real  patriots,   who  may 


500  APPENDIX. 

resist  the  intrigues  of  the  favourite,  are  liable  to  become  sus- 
pected and  odious  ;  while  its  tools  and  dupes  usurp  the  ap- 
plause and  confidence  of  the  people,  to  surrender  their  in- 
terests. 

The  great  rule  of  conduct  for  us,  in  regard  to  foreign  na- 
tions, is,  in  extending  our  commercial  relations,  to  have  with 
them  as  little  political  connexion  as  possible.  So  far  as  we 
have  already  formed  engagements,  let  them  be  fulfilled  with 
perfect  good  faith.  Here  let  us  stop. 

Europe  has  a  set  of  primary  interests,  which  to  us  have 
none,  or  a  very  remote  relation.  Hence  she  must  be  engaged 
in  frequent  controversies,  the  causes  of  which  are  essentially 
foreign  to  our  concerns.  Hence,  therefore,  it  must  be  unwise 
in  us  to  implicate  ourselves,  by  artificial  ties,  in  the  ordinary 
Vicissitudes  of  her  politics,  or  the  ordinary  combinations  and 
collisions  of  her  friendships  or  enmities.  Our  detached  and 
distant  situation  invites  and  enables  us  to  pursue  a  different 
course.  If  we  remain  one  people,  under  an  efficient  govern- 
ment, the  period  is  not  far  off,  when  we  may  defy  material 
injury  from  external  annoyance ;  when  we  may  take  such  an 
attitude  as  will  cause  the  neutrality  we  may  at  any  time  re- 
solve upon,  to  be  scrupulously  respected  ;  when  belligerent 
nations,  under  the  impossibility  of  making  acquisitions  upon 
us,  will  not  lightly  hazard  the  giving  us  provocation  ;  when 
we  may  choose  peace  or  war,  as  our  interest,  guided  by  jus- 
tice, shall  counsel. 

Why  forego  the  advantages  of  so  peculiar  a  situation  ? 
"Why  quit  our  own  to  stand  upon  foreign  ground  ?  Why,  by 
interweaving  our  destiny  with  that  of  any  part  of  Europe, 
entangle  our  peace  and  prosperity  in  the  toils  of  European 
ambition,  rivalship,  interest,  humour,  or  caprice. 

It  is  our  true  policy  to  steer  clear  of  permanent  alliances, 
with  any  portion  of  the  foreign  world  ;  so  far,  I  mean,  as  we 
are  now  at  liberty  to  do  it ;  for  let  me  not  be  understood  as 
capable  of  patronizing  infidelity  to  existing  engagements.  I 
hold  the  maxim  no  less  applirable  to  public  than  to  private 
affairs,  that  honesty  is  always  the  best  policy.  I  repeat  it, 
therefore,  let  those  engagements  be  observed  in  their  genuine 
sense.  But  in  my  opinion  it  is  unnecessary,  and  would  be 
unwise  to  extend  them. 

Taking  care  always  to  keep  ourselves,  by  suituable  esta- 
blishments, in  a  respectable  defensive  posture,  we  may  safely 
trust  to  temporary  alliances  for  extraordinary  emergencies. 

Harmony  and  a  liberal  intercourse  with  all  nations,  are 
recommended  by  policy,  humanity,  and  interest.  But  even 
our  commercial  policy  should  hold  an  equal  and  impartial 
hand ;  neither  seeking  nor  granting  exclusive  favours  or  pre- 


APPENDIX.  501 

Terences  ;  consulting  the  natural  course  of  things  ;  diffusing 
and  diversifying  by  gentle  means  the  streams  of  commerce, 
hut  forcing  nothing  :  establishing,  with  powers  so  disposed, 
in  order  to  give  trade  a  stable  course,  to  define  the  rights  of 
our  merchants,  and  to  enable  the  government  to  support 
them,  conventional  rules  of  intercourse,  the  best  that  pre- 
sent circumstances  and  mutual  opinion  will  permit,  but  tem- 
porary, and  liable  to  be  from  time  to  time  abandoned  or  varied, 
as  experience  and  circumstances  shall  dictate  ;  constantly 
keeping  in  view,  that  it  is  folly  in  one  nation  to  look  for  dis- 
interested favours  from  another  ;  that  it  must  pay  with  a  por- 
tion of  its  independence  for  whatever  it  may  accept  under  that 
character  ;  that  by  such  acceptance,  it  may  place  itself  in  the 
condition  of  having  given  equivalents  for  nominal  favours, 
and  yet  of  being  reproached  with  ingratitude  for  not  giving 
more.  There  can  be  no  greater  error  than  to  expect,  or  cal- 
culate upon  real  favours  from  nation  to  nation.  It  is  an  illu- 
sion which  experience  must  cure,  which  a  just  pride  ought  to 
discard. 

In  offering  to  you,  my  countrymen,  these  counsels  of  an 
old  and  affectionate  friend,  I  dare  not  hope  they  will  make 
the  strong  and  lasting  impression  I  could  wish  ;  that  they 
will  control  the  usual  current  of  the  passions,  or  prevent  our 
nation  from  running  the  course  which  has  hitherto  marked 
the  destiny  of  nations  !  but,  if  I  may  even  flatter  myself,  that 
they  may  be  productive  of  some  partial  benefit,  some  occasion- 
al good  ;  that  they  may  now  and  then  recur  to  moderate  the 
fury  of  party  spirit;  to  warn  against  the  mischiefs  of  foreign 
intrigue  ;  to  guard  against  the  impostures  of  pretended  pat- 
riotism ;  this  hope  will  be  a  full  recompense  for  the  solici- 
tude for  your  welfare,  by  which  they  have  been  dictated. 

How  far,  in  the  discharge  of  my  official  duties,  I  have  been 
guided  by  the  principles  which  have  been  delineated,  the  pub- 
lic records,  and  other  evidences  of  my  conduct  must  witness 
to  you  and  to  the  world.  To  myself,  the  assurance  of  my  own 
conscience  is,  that  I  have  at  least  believed  myself  to  be  guid- 
ed by  them.     ""*'- 

In  relation  to  the  still  subsisting  war  in  Europe,  my  p  o- 
clamation  of  the  22nd  of  April,  1793,  is  the  index  to  my  plan. 
Sanctioned  by  your  approving  voice,  and  by  that  of  your  re- 
presentatives in  both  houses  of  congress,  the  spirit  of  toat 
measure  has  continually  governed  me,  uninfluenced  by  a.ny 
attempts  to  deter,  or  divert  me  from  it. 

After  a  deliberate  examination,  with  the  aid  of  the  b  est 
lights  I  could  obtain,  I  was  well  satisfied  that  our  country, 
under  all  the  circumstances  of  the  case,  had  a  right  to  ta.ke, 
and  was  bound  in  duty  and  interest,  to  take  a  neutral  positid  n. 


502  APPENDIX. 

Having  taken  it,  I  determined,  as  far  as  should  depend  upon 
me,  to  maintain  it  with  moderation,  perseverance  and  firm- 
ness. The  considerations  which  respect  the  right  to  hold 
this  conduct,  it  is  not  necessary  on  this  occasion  to  detail.  I 
will  only  observe,  that  according  to  my  understanding  of  the 
matter,  that  right,  so  far  from  being  denied  by  any  of  the 
belligerent  powers,  has  been  virtually  admitted  by  all. 

The  duty  of  holding  a  neutral  conduct  may  be  inferred 
without  any  thing  more,  from  the  obligation  which  justice 
and  humanity  impose  on  every  nation,  in  cases  in  which  it  is 
free  to  act,  to  maintain  inviolate  the  relations  of  peace  and 
amity  towards  other  nations. 

The  inducements  of  interest  for  observing  that  conduct  will 
be  best  referred  to  your  own  reflections  and  experience.  With 
me  a  predominant  motive  has  been,  to  endeavour  to  gain  time 
to  our  country  to  settle  and  mature  its  yet  recent  institutions, 
and  to  progress,  without  interruption,  to  that  degree  of  strength 
and  consistency,  which  is  necessary  to  give  it,  humanly  speak- 
ing, the  command  of  its  own  fortunes. 

Though,  in  reviewing  the  incidents  of  my  administration, 
I  am  unconscious  of  intentional  error,  I  am  nevertheless  too 
sensible  of  my  defects,  not  to  think  it  probable  that  I  may  have 
committed  many  errors.  Whatever  they  may  be,  I  fervently 
beseech  the  Almighty  to  avert  or  mitigate  the  evils  to  which 
they  may  tend.  I  shall  also  carry  with  me  the  hope  that  my 
country  will  never  cease  to  view  them  with  indulgence  ;  and 
that,  after  forty-five  years  of  my  life  dedicated  to  its  service, 
with  an  upright  zeal,  the  faults  of  incompetent  abilities  will 
be  consigned  to  oblivion,  as  myself  must  soon  be  to  the  man- 
sions of  rest. 

Relying  on  its  kindness  in  this  as  in  other  things,  and  ac- 
tuated by  that  fervent  love  towards  it,  which  is  so  natural  to 
a  man,  who  views  in  it  the  native  soil  of  himself  and  his  pro- 
genitors for  several  generations,  I  anticipate  with  pleasing 
expectation  that  retreat,  in  which  I  promise  myself  to  realize, 
without  alloy,  the  sweet  enjoyment  of  partaking  in  the  midst 
of  my  fellow-citizens,  the  benign  influence  of  good  laws  under 
a  free  government ;  the  ever  favorite  object  of  my  heart,  and 
the  happy  reward,  as  I  trust,  of  our  mutual  cares,  labours, 
and  dangers. 

G.  WASHINGTON. 

United  States,  17th  September,  1796. 


] 


^(©SftpHMPi 


Preface, 
Introduction, 
Adams,  Samuel, 
Allen,  Ethan, 
Allen,  Ebenezer, 
Allen,  Moses, 
Alexander,  William, 
Arnold,  Benedict, 
Barney,  Joshua, 
Barry,  John, 
Bartlett,  Josiah, 
Beatty,  William, 
•Biddle,  Nicholas, 
Bland,  Theodoric, 
Blount,  Thomas, 

•  Boudinot,  Elias, 
Bowdoin,  James, 

•  Bradford,   William, 
Broad,  Hezekiah, 
Brooks,  Eleazar, 
Brown,  Moses, 
Brown,  Robert, 
Bryan,  George, 
Burd,  Benjamin, 
Butler,  Richard, 
Butler,  Thomas, 
Butler,  Zebulon, 

•  Cadwalader,  Xhomoflg^y-, 
Caswell,  Richard,      ^ 
Champe,  John, 
Christie,  James, 
Clarke,  George  Rogers, 
Clinton,  James, 
Clinton,  George, 
Clinton,  Charles, 
Comstock,  Adam, 
Croghan,  William, 
Cropper,  John, 
Gushing,  Thomas, 

*  Darke,  William, 
Davie,  Richardson  Wm. 
Davidson,  William, 
Dickinson,  John, 
Dickinson,  Philemon, 
Drayton,  William  Henry, 


Page. 

Page. 

3 

Dyer,  Eliphalet, 

127 

5 

Ellsworth,  Oliver, 

128 

9 

Floyd,  William, 

130 

21  . 

>  Franklin,  Benjamin, 

132 

25 

Forrest,  Uriah, 

143 

25 

Gadsden,  Christopher, 

144 

26 

Gansevoort,  Peter, 

147 

29 

Gates,  Horatio, 

153 

38 

Gibson,  John, 

163 

48 

Gibson,  George, 

166 

50 

Greene,  Nathaniel, 

171 

52 

Greene,  Christopher, 

185 

55 

Graeff,  George, 

191 

62 

rGurney,  Francis, 

191 

63 

Gwinn,  William, 

196 

63 

Hale,  Nathan, 

196 

65 

Hamilton,  Alexander, 

199 

67 

Hancock,  John, 

205 

70 

Hathaway,  Benoni, 

215 

70 

Hawkins,  Nathan, 

215 

71 

Hawley,  Joseph, 

216 

71 

Hayne,  Isaac, 

220 

72 

Heath,  William, 

225 

73 

Henry,  Patrick, 

227 

74, 

»  Heston,  Edward, 

242 

75 

Holden,  Levi, 

244 

76 

.  Hopkinson,  Francis, 

244 

*,  83 

Hopkins,  Stephen, 

246 

'    87 

Humphrey,  David, 

247 

87 

Huntington,  Samuel, 

248 

91 

Huntington,  Jedediah, 

252 

92 

Irvine,  William, 

252 

95 

Irwin,  Jared, 

259 

100 

Jackson,  James, 

259 

103 

James,  John, 

269 

106 

Jasper,  , 

272 

107 

•  Johnson,  Francis, 

274 

108 

Jones,  Paul, 

274 

109 

Kalb,  Baron  de, 

279 

111 

Kennard,  Nathaniel, 

282 

111 

Kirkwood,  Robert, 

282 

116 

Knowlton,  Thomas, 

286 

118 

Knox,  Henry, 

287 

122 

Kosciusco,  Thaddeus, 

290 

125 

Lacev,  John. 

292 

This  book  is  due  two  weeks  from  the  last  date  stamped 
below,  and  if  not  returned  at  or  before  that  time  a  fine  of 
five  cents  a  day  will  be  incurred. 


COLUMBIA  UNIVERSITY  LIBRARIES 


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02.T.  3 


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NUV  17  1932 


